Arya Dipa, The Jakarta Post, Bandung | Fri, 01/07/2011 10:33 AM | The Archipelago
Prosecutors demanded that former Peterpan’s frontman Ariel be sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for his role in the nation’s most recent Internet sex-video scandal.
The sentence demand, which also included a request for a Rp 250 million (US$27,750) fine, was delivered by prosecutor Rusmanto during a closed trial hearing at Bandung District Court on Thursday.
“From the trial proceedings, the prosecutors can only prove him [guilty under] article 29 and article 4 of the anti-pornography law,” Rusmanto said after the hearing.
The sentence request, Rusmanto said, was made based on facts disclosed at the trial.
Rusmanto said that Ariel was proven to be the actor in two pornographic videos used as evidence at the trial.
“The defendant is proven as the actor of the video, which was spread nationally [through the Internet],” Rusmanto said.
The prosecutors were of the opinion that the defendant had caused unrest in the community.
As an artist and public figure, Ariel is considered as unable to be an influential figure among young people. “He also did not want to admit to his conduct and gave arduous explanations. The defendant did not want to apologize for his act,” he said.
The only thing which ensured his sentence was light was the fact that the defendant had never been jailed before. “The defendant is still young and is expected to be able to improve his conduct.”
Previously, charges against Ariel were not based merely on the anti-pornography law but also the 2008 Electronic Information and Transaction Law.
He faced a maximum sentence of 12 years in jail and a fine of between Rp 250 million to Rp 6 billion.
Ariel’s attorney, OC Kaligis, said that his client’s legal team would respond to the sentence demand at the next trail session, scheduled for Jan. 13.
“We have prepared our statement,” he said.
Meanwhile at the trial of Reza Rizaldi alias Redjoy on the same case, the prosecutors demanded a lighter jail sentence of only four years and a fine of Rp 250 million.
The sentence request was lighter than Ariel’s because Redjoy admitted to his act and he had never been to jail before.
He was considered polite during the trial process and did not give complicated information.
But there was still an act which was considered to have burdened him in which his decision to upload the video on the Internet had sparked unrest in the community.
