Bombshell eyewitness claims against alleged Aussie Bali brawler Mohamed Rifai who is facing five years in prison after Finns Beach Club altercation

Daily Mail​

08-05-2025

A security guard at a popular tourist spot in Bali has described the moment he fell and fainted during an alleged brawl involving an Australian man.
Three members of Finns Beach Club's security made statements in Denpasar District Court on Thursday at the trial of south-west Sydney man Mohamed Rifai who is accused of assault.
A brawl allegedly broke out between five Aussies and up to 15 security staff at Finns Beach Club on February 11 when tourists are said to have attacked staff after being asked to leave.
One of the security team, Made Bagus Yohanandita, described his head and mouth injuries from the incident to the court, as well as the loss of some teeth.
The court heard that Mr Yohanandita saw his colleague take one of the group of Australians out of the club and helped bind his hands with cable ties.
'At that time, another foreigner suddenly came and hit me,' he said.
'I fell onto the floor and then I don't remember what happened later. I fell and fainted.'
Mr Yohanandita said he 'felt really sure' that Rifai was the alleged perpetrator because he remembered the tattoo on the Australian's stomach.
'I got injuries to my head and my mouth and I lost my teeth,' Mr Yohanandita said, telling the court that he still experienced pain three months later.
Security guard Gede Ngurah Alit Sujana told the court he saw Rifai hit his colleague.
'I was about two meters from him. When I saw (Mr Yohanandita) was hit, I ran,' he said.
Head of security Nyoman Mertayasa also took the stand, telling the court he had been inside the club when there was an altercation between Australian and Singaporean customers.
'They were warned several times, but an altercation happened repeatedly between them,' he said.
'I decided to take one of them outside. I thought it had finished. But apparently there was another incident in the parking area.'
Rifai and the security guards reportedly tried to reach an agreement during the legal process, witnesses told the court, but to no avail.
Mr Sujana and Mr Mertayasa have also been detained at Kerobokan Prison as part of the nine security staff accused of 'group assault' over the melee.
Rifaim, 27, denied that he was the one who hit Mr Yohanandita after the guards' statements, adding there were many people at the scene.
'I don't remember whether it was me,' he said.
'When the incident happened, the situation was chaos.'
Asked by one judge whether he was drunk at the time of the incident, Rifai said he had not been drinking alcohol.
Neither Rifai or his father, who attended court on Thursday, made a comment following the session.
But Rifai's lawyer Sabam Antonius told reporters the court was not showed CCTV to identify who hit Mr Yohanandita.
'My client just (defended himself) because there was fighting,' he said.
The matter will return to court on May 15, with more witnesses expected to give statements.
Rifai faces up to five years behind bars in Indonesia if he's found guilty.
The four other Australians involved in the incident were not charged after Bali police deemed them to be 'witnesses' to the alleged brawl.