Soeharto vs 'Time' put off to Oct. 14 amid no-shows<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Central Jakarta District Court adjourned on
\nThursday a legal battle between former president Soeharto and New
\nYork-based Time magazine until Oct. 14, after all seven
\ndefendants failed to appear at the opening session of the trial.<\/p>\n
\"The court will ask all defendants to attend the next trial
\nsession, slated for Oct. 14,\" presiding Judge Sihol Sitompul,
\nchief of the Central Jakarta District Court, said at the trial.<\/p>\n
Sihol said the court sent summonses to all defendants,
\nincluding the five foreign-based defendants, in July. The letters
\nwere sent through the Directorate-General of Consular Affairs at
\nthe Ministry of Foreign Affairs.<\/p>\n
All Soeharto's lawyers -- Juan Felix Tampubolon, Mohammad
\nAssegaf, Denny Kailimang and O.C. Kaligis -- were present, while
\nTime magazine was represented by Todung Mulya Lubis at the trial
\non Thursday.<\/p>\n
Soeharto lodged a US$27 billion civil lawsuit against the
\nmagazine at the Central Jakarta District Court in July, in
\nresponse to a cover story published in the magazine's May 24
\nAsian edition alleging that Soeharto and his family had amassed a
\n$15 billion fortune during his 32-year reign.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit named Time Inc. Asia, based in Hong Kong, as the
\nfirst defendant. Also named were Time Asia's editor-in-chief
\nDonald Morrison, Hong Kong bureau chief John Colmey, and
\nreporters David Liebhold, Lisa Rose Weaver, Zamira Lubis and
\nJason Tedjasukmana.<\/p>\n
All of the seven defendants were absent from Thursday's trial.
\nA court clerk confirmed that it was difficult for the court to
\nsummon the offshore defendants.<\/p>\n
Todung confirmed that Zamira and Jason, who are both Jakarta
\nresidents, have formally hired him to represent the two in the
\ntrials.<\/p>\n
He told reporters after the trial that the five offshore
\ndefendants had yet to receive the summonses.<\/p>\n
\"Our clients have to first receive the court's summonses
\nbefore they will formally authorize me to represent them in the
\ntrials,\" said Todung.<\/p>\n
Lawyer for Soeharto Juan Felix Tampubolon separately said
\nafter the trial that the defendants had purposely delayed the
\ntrial of the case.<\/p>\n
\"It has been two months since the court sent the summonses,
\nbut they are still absent. It's a slander to Indonesian law,\" he
\ntold reporters.<\/p>\n
Juan said he would ask the judges to continue the trial even
\nin the absence of the defendants.<\/p>\n
\"We'll ask the judges to continue the trial without the
\ndefendants' presence, if they still fail to attend the next trial
\nsession,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Juan also criticized Todung for issuing statements to the
\nmedia, which he considered interfering with the trial process.<\/p>\n
\"He issued statements in the name of Time magazine, while he
\nhas not been formally hired to represent the magazine and the
\ndefendants. We'll file a lawsuit against him if he continues
\nissuing statements,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Todung played down the accusation, saying that he was the
\nmagazine's legal attorney in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"I have the right to talk to media representing Time magazine
\nbecause I'm its lawyer here,\" Todung said.<\/p>\n
\"What are their (Soeharto's lawyers) interests? Even the court
\ndid not prohibit me from talking to the media.\" (asa)<\/p>",
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