Nine legislators accused of defamation<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Five lawyers calling themselves the Advocacy
\nTeam for Upholding the Supremacy of Law, reported nine members of
\nthe House of Representatives to the police on Monday for defaming
\nand slandering President Abdurrahman Wahid.<\/p>\n
The nine legislators are House Speaker Akbar Tandjung, House
\nDeputy Speakers Soetardjo Soerjoguritno, A.M. Fatwa and Tosari
\nWijaya; and legislators Bachtiar Chamsyah, Ahmad Hafiz Zawawi,
\nChodijah H.M. Saleh, Farhan Hamid and Hamdan Zoelva.<\/p>\n
One of the lawyers, Indra Sahnun Lubis, accused the nine
\nlegislators of violating Article 310 of the Criminal Code on
\ndefamation which carries a maximum punishment of nine months in
\njail.<\/p>\n
Indra said the nine legislators violated the law as they
\naccused President of involvement in two scandals, commonly known
\nas Buloggate and Bruneigate.<\/p>\n
\"Based on the testimony of the witnesses in the case, the
\nPresident was not involved,\" he told reporters at National Police
\nheadquarters, adding that he and his associates were complaining
\nto the police as citizens and not as the representatives of
\nAbdurrahman.<\/p>\n
He said the findings of the House Special Committee, which
\nconfirmed Abdurrahman's involvement, were based on a conspiracy
\ninstead of legal facts.<\/p>\n
Based on the findings of the Committee, chaired by Bachtiar of
\nthe United Development Party (PPP), legislators Zawawi of the
\nGolkar Party, Chodijah of PPP, Farhan of the Reform Faction and
\nHamdan of the Crescent and Star Party (PBB) also accused
\nAbdurrahman of concocting \"public lies\".<\/p>\n
Indra and his friends believed that Akbar, Soetardjo, Fatwa
\nand Tosari, who led the plenary session on Thursday, were also
\ninvolved in inciting others to commit a crime.<\/p>\n
Asked whether President Abdurrahman had been informed of their
\ncomplaints, another lawyer Victor W. Nadapdap said, \"It wouldn't
\nbe ethical if we mentioned it.\"<\/p>\n
Indra, Victor and their three fellow lawyers had earlier
\nrepresented Abdurrahman's masseur Agung Alip Suwondo who is
\ncurrently on trial in the North Jakarta District Court.<\/p>\n
Suwondo, with the help of Sapuan, deputy chief of the State
\nLogistics Agency (Bulog), was the alleged unlawful recipient of
\nRp 35 billion from the agency's Yanatera employee foundation in
\nFebruary of last year.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman has repeatedly denied any involvement in the
\nscandal. He has also denied playing a role in the other scandal
\ninvolving a US$2 million donation from the Sultan of Brunei
\nHasanal Bolkiah.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Saleh Saaf
\nsaid the police would study the complaint filled by Indra and his
\ncolleagues.<\/p>\n
\"If there is any evidence of defamation, we will question the
\nlegislators,\" Saleh told reporters.<\/p>\n
He said that no one in the country was immune from legal
\naction if they broke the law, including legislators, although in
\nthe case of legislators there were special requirements, such as
\npresidential consent for their questioning.<\/p>\n
He said that as citizens, the lawyers were perfectly entitled
\nto make a report to the police if they considered that the
\nlegislators had defamed the President.<\/p>\n
However, Saleh suggested that the lawyers should use Article
\n134 of the Criminal Code on defamation of the President and Vice
\nPresident, instead of the Article 310 which needed a statement
\nfrom the President.<\/p>\n
\"If the President does not feel himself defamed, then Article
\n310 will be useless against the legislators,\" he added. (jun\/ylt)<\/p>",
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