Eid al-Adha: Wives of Noel and Yaqut visit husbands at KPK detention centre
Several families of detainees visited their relatives at the KPK detention centre on Eid al-Adha, Wednesday (27 May). This included the wives of former Deputy Minister of Manpower Immanuel Ebenezer, alias Noel, and former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas.
Silvia Rinita Harefa, wife of former Deputy Minister Immanuel Ebenezer, alias Noel, visited her husband at the detention facility. She revealed Noel’s plea to be sentenced quickly.
‘He said he hopes the trial concludes swiftly so he can be sentenced quickly. We’re waiting for the verdict on 4 June,’ Silvia told Detik.com on Wednesday.
Silvia hopes Noel will receive a fair sentence and admitted she wishes for his release.
‘We hope the judges will impose the lightest and fairest sentence possible for Noel. We’re praying for that. Deep down, we just want him released,’ Silvia said.
During the visit, Silvia brought several food items for Noel, including mutton biryani.
‘I brought mutton biryani, as there was a committee to coordinate, so we paid them. There was biryani, oranges, savoury pastries, two glasses of coconut water, and later some grilled tilapia with sour vegetable soup,’ she said.
Eny Retno, wife of former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas (YCQ), also visited her husband at the KPK detention centre.
Eny brought Yaqut’s favourite fried tempe and other food items. She did not bring traditional Eid dishes like ketupat, vegetables, or meat as her husband cannot consume coconut milk.
She explained Yaqut has GERD, so she brought non-coconut milk food.
‘Abah has GERD, so he can’t eat anything with coconut milk. We brought light, non-coconut milk food. He doesn’t like meat much either, so we’re grateful for the simple meals. He’s not fussy about food, but due to GERD, we have to be careful,’ she said.
Eny said Yaqut is in good health. The family has not requested home detention for Eid al-Adha, unlike during Eid al-Fitr.
‘Not this time. We just hope he comes home. Everyone hopes Abah can return. Please pray for us; may this blessed day bring good fortune for our family,’ Eny said.
During the three-hour meeting with Yaqut, Eny did not discuss the case. She said they agreed not to talk about it when with their children.
‘I’m committed to that. He discusses the case with his lawyers. With me and the children, we talk about the kids and family to keep things uplifting. Even the strongest person feels pain being separated from loved ones,’ she said.