Court to decide on Tomy vs. 'Tempo'<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Central Jakarta District Court is expected to hand down a
\nverdict on a libel suit filed by businessman Tomy Winata against
\na journalist of Tempo magazine on Tuesday. The verdict will be
\nthe second to be handed down in 11 legal battles between Tempo
\nmedia group and the businessman.<\/p>\n
Tomy has sought a whopping compensation of Rp 120 billion
\n(US$14.3 million) from the magazine publisher PT Tempo Inti Media
\nand the weekly's journalist Ahmad Taufik for his statement in the
\nchronology of the attack on Tempo's office on Jl. Proklamasi,
\nCentral Jakarta, and its journalists on March 8, 2003.<\/p>\n
In the chronology, which was widely circulated on the Internet
\nin the wake of the attack, Taufik said that Tomy owned numerous
\nentertainment spots and gambling dens.<\/p>\n
Although the chronology has reached readers through a variety
\nof means, Tomy's legal team are only concerned with the one that
\nappeared on Detikcom news portal on March 12.<\/p>\n
Tomy's lawyers said that the statement had caused their client
\nto suffer losses, claiming that many of Tomy's partners had
\ncanceled their business deals with him.<\/p>\n
In the suit, which was filed with the court on June 5, 2003,
\nTomy's lawyers demanded Taufik and the publishing company pay Rp
\n40 billion for the material losses and Rp 80 billion for the
\nnonmaterial losses.<\/p>\n
Although the publisher had nothing to do with the statement,
\nthe lawyers argued that it had to take responsibility for its
\nemployees' conduct. They also demanded the court confiscate
\nassets of the publisher and the printing company PT Temprint as
\ncollateral.<\/p>\n
The lawyers also demanded that Taufik publish an apology in a
\nnumber of dailies and weeklies for three consecutive days and to
\nbroadcast the apology on all television stations for seven days.<\/p>\n
Tempo media group lost its case against the businessman last
\nmonth when the South Jakarta District Court ruled in favor of
\nTomy in a libel suit against Koran Tempo daily and ordered the
\ndaily to pay US$1 million in damages.<\/p>\n
A panel of judges at the court found the daily guilty of
\nrunning an article titled (Southeast Sulawesi) Governor Ali Mazi
\ndenies Tomy Winata to open casino which it considered libelous.
\nKoran Tempo appealed the verdict.<\/p>\n
The verdict was criticized by the international and national
\nmedia community, saying that such a ruling constituted efforts to
\ncurb press freedom by legal means. Some experts urged judges to
\napply the Press Law instead of the Criminal Code in legal
\ndisputes involving the press.<\/p>\n
The Central Jakarta District Court had ruled on Nov. 27, 2003,
\nin favor of Tempo magazine in a defamation suit filed by the
\nowner of Texmaco group Marimutu Sinivasan.<\/p>\n
The same court, however, acquitted David Tjioe alias A Miauw,
\nTomy's minion who led the attack on Tempo's office, of assault or
\ninciting violence earlier last year.<\/p>",
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