Buyung and his lawyers walk out of courtroom

JAKARTA (JP): Rachmad Buchori, accused of defaming the President, and his lawyers walked out of court yesterday after prosecutors refused to summon President Soeharto as ordered by the judge.

Rachmad alias Buyung R.B. walked out of the court room followed by his 10 lawyers.

"I don't trust the court anymore," said Buyung. No one tried to stop him as he stepped out of the room.

One of Buyung's lawyers, Johnson Panjaitan, charged that the prosecution was purposely ignoring the court.

"We believe that by ignoring the judge's order, the prosecutor is showing disrespect to the court. And because of that, the defendant has walked out. What's our function, then?" he said before walking out of the room followed by other lawyers.

Prosecutor Uri Hasan Basri told the South Jakarta District Court that the President was not summoned because in such cases the statement made by the accused was proof in itself.

There is no need to bring the injured party to testify that he was defamed, the prosecutor argued.

During the Sept. 4 trial, presiding judge Suratman agreed to the defendant's request that the injured party, President Soeharto, testify in person or in writing that he was defamed by Buyung's actions.

Buyung, 34, personal secretary to former politician Soebadio Sastrosatomo, is being charged for defaming the president through his involvement in the publishing of Soebadio's book.

The 22-page book, Era Baru Pemimpin Baru, Badio Menolak Rekayasa Regim Orde Baru (New Era New Order, Badio Rejects the New Order Regime's Engineering), was banned on March 4 by the Attorney General's Office because it supposedly could provoke unrest and create a negative image of the government.

The book was written by Soebadio, 78, founder of the now defunct Indonesian Socialist Party.

According to prosecutors, Soebadio dictated the text to Buyung, who typed it.

Judge Suratman responded to the prosecution's failure to present the President as so ordered, saying "That (failure to present the witness) will be your responsibility".

The judge remained passive as Buyung walked out of the court room.

Suratman then resumed the proceedings.

Prosecutors tried to call in four witnesses but found none of them were in the room when their names were called out.

The hearing was adjourned until next week. (05)