Gus Dur's lawyer denies charges

JAKARTA (JP): Lawyers of President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, who is currently facing a lawsuit for dismissing Soeripto from his post as secretary-general of the Ministry of Forestry, said on Monday that the Central Jakarta District Court had no authority to handle the case.

Lawyer Nien Rachmaniah Aryono from the Attorney General's Office said in the response to Soeripto's suit that the case should be handled by the Administrative Court.

She said that Soeripto's dismissal was decided by a state administrative decree. While Law No.5/1986 on the Administrative Court stipulates that cases related to a decree deemed contradictory to the law should be processed by the Administrative Court.

Nien also told the court presided over by judge Amiruddin that the decree cited reasons behind Soeripto's dismissal which differed completely from the reasons revealed by Soeripto in the suit.

Soeripto, who was dismissed from his post following the removal of former minister for forestry Nurmahmudi Ismail, has demanded Gus Dur pay Rp 3.5 billion for defamation over his dismissal in March, as the President accused him of having aided the escape of Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra Soeharto.

According to Soeripto, Gus Dur also charged him, along with a former Army's Special Force (Kopassus) Maj. Gen. Muchdi Purwopranjono, of having conducted a meeting at Kempinsky Hotel to plot the downfall of the President. The President's last charge was that Soeripto, along with the Indonesian Military (TNI), smuggled timber abroad.

Nien said that Gus Dur did not mean to defame Soeripto with the charges as the statements just slipped out of his mouth.

"What has been revealed by my client -- if it be true, were oral statements, with no intention to defame the plaintiff as stipulated in Article 1376 of the Civil Code (on defamation)," Nien said.

Nien also said that Soeripto had made a mistake in naming Gus Dur as the defendant in his law suit, as Gus Dur made the decision to dismiss Soeripto in his capacity as President of the Republic of Indonesia, and not as Abdurrahman Wahid, an individual.

The trial was adjourned until July, 2 to hear the response of the Soeripto's lawyer of Masiga Bugis Law Office. (02)