Jakarta: Eight Bali police officers and the Kuta police chief are being questioned over allegations that Australians were pistol-whipped and tasered by security guards and paid police a bribe after a buck's night went horribly wrong.
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Bali Propam (police internal affairs) chief Yacobus Sukirno confirmed police were being questioned over the incident which allegedly occurred after the men hired a stripper at an upmarket Seminyak restaurant.
"I can't say much, I have to report and coordinate first before I can talk to the media," Mr Yacobus said.
"We are not trying to hide anything from the media. Once it's done, I will let the media know."
Bali Police spokesman Hery Wiyanto said no official complaint had been made.
However he said the police were asked to investigate after the Australian government questioned the Indonesian government over what had occurred following a report in Fairfax Media on June 21.
Mr Hery said police were still trying to find out if the alleged incident actually occurred and if so, which of three possible police stations were involved.
Fairfax Media reported that men who attended the buck's night of marketing consultant Mark Ipaviz on February 26 were pistol-whipped and tasered by private security guards. They were then allegedly forced to pay a bribe to police of about $25,000 to avoid trumped-up charges and threats of a 10-year prison sentence.
None of the men contacted by Fairfax Media in June were willing to talk publicly about their treatment.
However the group is understood to include prominent nightclub owner Nick Russian, several former models, celebrity hairdresser Joey Scandizzo, Simon Phan and Dan Beckwith.
The 16 men are believed to have hired a stripper at a private room in a Seminyak restaurant which was then allegedly stormed by private security guards with guns.
One member of the buck's party was allegedly smashed over the head with a bottle, several were shocked with Taser guns, while another was pistol-whipped and threatened with death.
The 16 men were taken to a police station, where they were allegedly told they faced serious indecency charges that carried a 10-year prison sentence in Indonesia.
After more than 24 hours in custody, they allegedly paid police a bribe of 250 million Indonesian rupiah ($25,000) to secure their release.
Kuta Police Chief Dedy Januarta refused to comment and directed Fairfax Media to Propam.
A spokesperson said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade routinely provided consular assistance to Australians in difficulty overseas.
"For reasons of privacy, the department will not comment on the specifics of this case," she said.
