Doctor Tifa's Legal Team Claims Jokowi Lacks Legal Standing in Fake Diploma Case

The legal team for Tifauzia Tyassuma, known as Dr. Tifa, has challenged the legal standing of Indonesia’s 7th President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) as the complainant in a defamation case concerning the authenticity of his diploma. The argument was presented during an exception hearing at the East Jakarta District Court on Thursday, 9 July 2026.

The defence argued that Jokowi does not have the legal capacity to act as a victim under Article 32 paragraph (1) of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (UU ITE). They stated that the electronic document in question does not belong to Jokowi, but rather to Dian Sandi Utama, a cadre of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI).

‘Because the electronic document is juridically and technologically not the property of Mr Joko Widodo, by law Mr Joko Widodo does not have the persona standi in judicio or legal standing to sue,’ the legal team stated. They added that Jokowi therefore lacks the right to report or act as a direct victim to invoke criminal provisions under the relevant article.

The defence argued that based on the principle of digital sovereignty, only the legal owner or controller of the electronic data—in this case, Dian Sandi—has the right to claim harm and file a lawsuit over alleged data manipulation. Consequently, they asserted that the indictment contains a fundamental error regarding the object of the case. The team requested the panel of judges to declare the prosecutor’s indictment formally defective and inadmissible, arguing that the absence of legal standing on the part of the complainant nullifies the prosecution’s right to pursue the case.