GPK to sue actor for defamation

The Legal Aid Institution of the Young Ka'bah Movement (GPK) revealed on Thursday that it planned to file suit against small-time actor Ibra Azhari and his lawyer Farhad Abbas for tarnishing the name of Vice President Hamzah Haz and his family.

GPK is a youth wing of the United Development Party (PPP), which Hamzah chairs.

GPK chairman Usamah Hisyam announced that Ibra and Abbas were responsible for starting the rumor about Hamzah's child being arrested for drugs.

Last month, the police detained a man called Ibra in his rented room at Wisma Bumi Rajawali, South Jakarta, for drug possession along with his girlfriend Laura Wendari. The latter was said to be Hamzah's daughter from his third wife.

Hamzah's third wife Soraya and Laura both denied it. However, another name, Firza, popped up and was said to be Hamzah's son. In an aired interview last week, Firza and his family clarified that they were not related to Hamzah.

Later, Hamzah's real son Irvan was said to be on brink of divorce from wife Aisyah and would soon marry Ibra's younger sister Rahma Azhari. Hamzah furiously said the rumors were systematic character assassination.

Usamah, who is also Hamzah's personal assistant for political and security affairs, claimed that none of Hamzah's 15 children had ever been involved with drugs.

"All of these rumors came from the inconsistent statements of Ibra and Farhad to reporters and the police, which later created public controversy connecting the drug case to the Vice President's children," Usamah said as quoted by Antara. -- JP