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View all search resultsPolice name Deli Serdang deputy speaker as defamation suspect
The case stems from comments Hamdani Adjam posted to Instagram suggesting a romantic "match" between North Sumatra's top lawmaker, a woman, and Governor Bobby Nasution, who are both married to other people.
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North Sumatra Governor Bobby Nasution (center front), the son-in-law of former president Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo, joins a march on Feb. 21, 2025, during a weeklong “boot camp” for regional heads at the Military Academy in Magelang, Central Java.
(AFP/Aditya Aji)
T
he North Sumatra Police’s cybercrimes unit has named Hamdani Adjam, deputy speaker of the Deli Serdang Legislative Council, as a suspect of alleged defamation targeting North Sumatra Legislative Council Speaker Erni Ariyanti Sitorus
Hamdani has been charged with Article 27A of the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law on defamation, which carries a maximum punishment of four years behind bars and a Rp 750 million (US$43,000) fine, as stipulated in Article 45, clause 4 of the law.
He is also charged with Article 315 under the old Criminal Code on insult, which carries a prison term of four months and two weeks, though this article was replaced with Article 436 of the new Criminal Code enacted in 2023, which stipulates a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a Rp 10 million fine.
Sr. Comr. Ferry Walintukan, chief spokesman of the North Sumatra Police, said on Tuesday that Hamdani was declared a suspect on April 30 after investigators gathered evidence and witness statements to put together a case.
However, the Golkar Party politician remained free “because he is cooperative” and the charges carried a penalty of “less than five years”, Ferry explained.
Read also: Police investigate fire at house of judge who called Bobby to trial
The case stems from Erni’s complaint over comments Hamdani made on social media, which she filed with the North Sumatra Police in August.
In his Instagram comment under a different user’s account, Hamdani posted a photo collage of the province’s top lawmaker alongside North Sumatra Governor Bobby Nasution titled: “Political besties Erni and Bobby are seen as weakening the legislature’s supervisory function”.
Under his handle @hamdanisyahputra131313, Hamdani wrote: “How sweet, well-matched, one is a wife, the other is a husband”.
On another account, he posted a separate comment describing Bobby as a match for Erni. “Just waiting for the invitation,” Hamdani wrote, implying the two would be wed.
Erni alleged that Hamdani’s comments were categorized as harassment and must be reported for violating Article 27A of the ITE Law and Article 315 of the Criminal Code.
“This is defamation and verbal harassment against me as a mother, a wife and a woman,” she said after filing her police report on Hamdani.
Read also: KPK may question North Sumatra’s Bobby Nasution in road graft case
Responding to the move, Hamdani said he did not expect his comments on other users’ Instagram accounts to offend Erni that she would choose to pursue a legal channel.
“I was just riding on the comments of other netizens in the posts,” he said. “I did not make any statements, nor did I directly mention her [Erni’s] name.” (nvn)
