Judges rule Dewi's action defective

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The South Jakarta District Court threw out on Friday a lawsuit filed by Dewi Sukarno -- one the wives of founding president Sukarno -- over the ownership of a valuable plot of land, and instead advised her to refile the case.

"The court cannot make a ruling as it is not clear whether the plaintiff is suing in her personal capacity or on the behalf of Sari Asih Hospital Foundation, which she chairs," Presiding Judge Zoeber Djajadi told the plaintiff.

In their decision, the judges said that some of the 25 claims made by the plaintiff failed to make clear in which legal capacity she was bringing her claim.

Moreover, the court said that the foundation's statutes stipulated that only its board of management, which included the chairperson, secretary and treasurer, had the right to represent the foundation.

Dewi's lawyer Sutito told the court he would consult with his client before deciding whether to file an appeal against the decision.

Japan-born Dewi, whose maiden name is Naoko Nemoto, sued 11 defendants over the ownership of 10-hectares of land in the central business district at Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kaveling 52-53, South Jakarta.

The defendants included: the Jakarta governor, the health minister, the National Land Agency, PT Danareksa Jakarta International, PT Arthayasa Grahatama, PT Danayasa Arthatama and PT Bank Artha Graha.

Dewi claimed she purchased the land in 1965 and had planned to build a hospital on it. But, after fleeing Jakarta in 1967 due to the political climate, the land was transferred to various institutions without Dewi's consent.