Businessman Ferry Hongkiriwang Suspect in Kidnapping, Assault Case Involving Military Intelligence

Ferry Yanto Hongkiriwang, known for owning the French restaurant chain Gontran Cherrier and the recently renamed de'Clan Signature cafe in Jakarta, is reportedly a suspect in a kidnapping and assault case. Police from the Directorate of Special Crimes and the Jakarta Metropolitan Police are investigating the incident, which led to the search of the de'Clan Signature cafe on July 8, 2026.

The case reportedly stems from an incident on July 25, 2025, where Hongkiriwang allegedly contacted a high-ranking Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) officer after feeling he was being followed. Subsequently, soldiers, believed to be from the Strategic Intelligence Agency (Bais) of the TNI, arrived at Bogor Cafe in Hotel Borobudur, Jakarta, and detained Police Brigadier Faisal Faizurrahman, a member of Detachment 88 (Densus 88).

Sources suggest the alleged tailing of Hongkiriwang was part of a covert operation involving Densus 88 personnel from Central Java. Brigadier Faisal reportedly belonged to the same Densus 88 team that had previously tailed the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes, Febrie Ardiansyah, in 2024. On July 28, 2025, the Jakarta Metropolitan Police issued a notification of investigation, naming Hongkiriwang and his associate Michael Njoman as suspects in the alleged kidnapping and assault of Brigadier Faisal.

While both were arrested, Hongkiriwang was later released with a mandatory reporting requirement, whereas Michael Njoman was only questioned. Beyond his culinary ventures, Hongkiriwang, 44, also manages businesses in steel coil and plate distribution through PT Tompotika Mulia Abadi, which holds a significant stake in PT Cahaya Baja Sukses, a distributor for the state-owned steel producer PT Krakatau Steel. This is not the first time Hongkiriwang and Njoman have faced legal scrutiny.