Court to issue verdict on 'Tempo' case

JAKARTA: The Central Jakarta District Court is slated to hand down its verdict in a defamation suit filed by businessman Tomy Winata, who is seeking a whopping Rp 200 billion (US$23.5 million) in financial compensation from Tempo weekly.

In the lawsuit, which was lodged on June 5, 2003, Tomy demanded that the weekly's publisher PT Tempo Inti Media and the company's top executive and six journalists pay damages for publishing an article entitled 'Is Tomy in Tenabang?' in its March 3 edition. The article insinuated that the businessman was involved in an arson attack on Tanah Abang textile market on Feb. 19, 2003.

The article in question said that Tomy had allegedly submitted a Rp 53 billion renovation proposal three months prior to the fire.

Last month, the same court rejected the Rp 120 billion civil suit filed by Tomy against the weekly's journalist Ahmad Taufik who gave his account of how Tomy's henchmen assaulted the journalist and several of his colleagues at the Central Jakarta Police precinct last year.

In another case, Koran Tempo daily lost against Tomy at the South Jakarta District Court in January and was ordered to pay US$1 million in damages. The daily has yet to pay the compensation pending the outcome of its appeal. -- JP