'Tempo' to report Tomy to police for perjury<\/p>\n
Urip Hudiono, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Lawyers for Tempo magazine journalists will report well-connected
\nbusinessman Tomy Winata to the police for allegedly giving false
\ntestimony during the Tempo libel trial.<\/p>\n
The decision was made following the judges' refusal to act on
\nthe perjury allegation.<\/p>\n
"We will certainly file a complaint with the police under
\nthese circumstances, although we will probably wait until the
\ncourt finishes hearing the testimony of the defendants," said
\nlawyer Trimoelja D. Soerjadi, after a hearing at the Central
\nJakarta District Court.<\/p>\n
Monday's hearing was scheduled to hear the evidence of
\ndefendants, but had to be adjourned until June 14, as most of the
\nprosecutors in the trial failed to turn up.<\/p>\n
Presiding judge Soeripto reaffirmed that the judicial panel
\nhad found no indications of perjury, and told the defendants to
\nfile a complaint with the police instead if they thought
\notherwise.<\/p>\n
Tempo chief editor Bambang Harymurti, along with journalists
\nAhmad Taufik and T. Iskandar Ali, are being prosecuted following
\nthe bringing of a complaint by Tomy for allegedly defaming him
\nthrough an article titled "Is Tomy in Tenabang?", which was
\npublished in the weekly's March 3 to March 9, 2003 edition. The
\narticle insinuated that the businessman was involved in a fire
\nthat razed the Tanah Abang textile market in February last year.<\/p>\n
Tomy denies that he was interviewed by Tempo for the article,
\nand asked that the authenticity of a recording of the interview
\nbe verified.<\/p>\n
Trimoelja strongly questioned the panel of judges' refusal of
\nthe defense request without giving clear grounds, when all the
\ntestimony and evidence submitted to back up the request clearly
\nindicated in the view of the defense that Tomy had committed
\nperjury.<\/p>\n
"The most convincing testimony came from expert Roy Suryo, in
\nwhich he verified that the voice on the recording of the
\ninterview used for the article was the same as the voice on the
\nrecordings of Tomy's own testimony, and hearings he attended with
\nthe House of Representatives."<\/p>\n
Article 147 of the Criminal Law Procedures Code states that a
\npresiding judge may order the prosecution of a witness who is
\nsuspected of perjuring himself, and adjourn the trial pending the
\noutcome of such prosecution.<\/p>\n
Article 242 of the Criminal Code, meanwhile, states that
\nanyone convicted of perjury faces a minimum seven-year jail
\nsentence, depending on whether or not the perjury prejudiced the
\ndefendant in the original proceedings.<\/p>\n
Bambang said it was important that the defense allegation of
\nperjury be followed up on so as to ensure the reliability of the
\ntestimony given by the other witnesses in the case.<\/p>\n
"If we don't report this, then other witnesses could also be
\nperceived as being tainted by perjury," he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tempo-to-report-tomy-to-police-for-perjury-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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