SINGAPORE - The former manager of Indonesian child star Tegar Septian has denied allegations that he sexually abused the 13-year-old, The New Paper reported on Saturday.
Indonesian media reported on Thursday that Tegar had filed a police report against Mr Arif Dollah, a Singaporean, and that the young singer had sought assistance from Indonesia's National Commission for Child Protection.
In a phone interview with TNP, Mr Arif, 30, denied the allegations of abuse between November 2014 and January this year, which included asking Tegar to sleep in underwear and kissing him.
He said: "I didn't do any of it. A friend of mine who is close to Tegar and whom Tegar treats like a brother said that someone must have forced him to (make the allegations)."
He added that the claims are a "plot to bring me down" and that the allegations are "made up".
Mr Arif told TNP that he, Tegar and an agent had lived in a Kuala Lumpur condominium and had all slept together on a king-sized bed.
"If we had both been in just our underwear, wouldn't the third person say something?"
On allegations that he asked Tegar to take showers together, Mr Arif said that he had accompanied the teenager, whom he called a "scaredy cat", but insisted that he stood outside with the door closed.
He said that he has hired a lawyer to help him.
In another twist, local singer Sufie Rashid, 24, has come forward with claims that Mr Arif sexually abused him when he was 13 years old - allegations that Mr Arif also denies.
Mr Sufie said that he is revealing this to help Tegar, TNP reported.
Mr Arif faces a jail term of between five and 15 years if he is found guilty of sexually abusing Tegar, Indonesia's National Commission for Child Protection chairman Arist Merdeka Sirait told The Straits Times on Thursday.
He said: "We have filed a report to police on Thursday. Police will soon arrange a medical check on the victim and use the medical report as preliminary evidence to press charges against Arif Dollah."
Tegar became famous when a video of his original song, Aku Yang Dulu Bukan Yang Sekarang, was viewed more than 11 million times on YouTube.
