Legislators testify in Bintang trial
Legislators testify in Bintang trial
JAKARTA (JP): Four members of the House of Representatives and a journalist testified in court yesterday that they met with politician Sri Bintang Pamungkas in Germany in April, but none could shed any more light on his activities.
The five testified for the government prosecutors who are charging that he insulted President Soeharto during a speech he made before Indonesian students in Germany.
The four legislators were members of President Soeharto's entourage during a state visit to Germany in April.
They were Markus Wauran of the Indonesian Democratic Party, Syaiful Anwar Husein and Muhammad Mansyur of the United Development Pary, and Harris Ali Moerfie of Golkar.
Syahbudin Hamzah of the Indonesian Times, who was covering the state visit, also testified for the prosecutors.
The four legislators said they did not attend the speech that Bintang gave in which he reportedly made the offensive remarks.
"We only said hello and had our pictures taken together when I met Bintang on Apr. 3 at the Indonesian pavilion for the Hanover Fair," Markus Wauran told the court.
"I greeted Bintang and asked how things were. We then parted ways because I had a busy schedule to follow," Syaiful Anwar Husein, said in a separate session.
"I greeted Bintang and hugged him," Muhammad Mansyur said in another session.
Harris Ali Moerfie said he only said "hi" to Bintang and had some pictures taken.
Syahbudin Hamzah testified that he met Bintang, also in Hanover, after the opening ceremony of the fair.
He said he did not know of any seminar and denied that he saw Bintang in a series of demonstrations.
Bintang was then still a member of the House of Representatives. He lost his seat in May, at the height of a police investigation, after President Soeharto approved a request by the United Development Party to have him removed.
Bintang is being accused of calling President Soeharto a "dictator" during a lecture he delivered to Indonesian students at the Technische Universitaet in Berlin in April. If found guilty, he could be jailed for up to six years.
The prosecution yesterday also presented Koswara, head of the Soekarno-Hatta Immigration Office, to ascertain the date of Bintang's departure and return from Germany.
The trial was adjourned until next Wednesday to hear testimony for the defense. Three students, who were present during Bintang's speech, have been summoned to the court. They are Ignatius Irianto, Iwan Setiabudi and Kristanto Hendatmo Sudirman. (imn)