'Matra', Hercules go back to court

JAKARTA: Lawyer of Matra monthly magazine and alleged gang leader Hercules Rozario are going back to court after mediation talks about a defamation suit deadlocked.

During a mediation hearing on Monday presided by judge Asnahwati, Matra's lawyer Leliana affirmed that her client had refused to pay Rp 2 billion (US$217,391) in punitive damages to Hercules who sued the monthly for alleged defamation.

Matra would only agree to publish an interview with the plaintiff and a public apology.

"It's not that we want to put the squeeze on Matra, but, by law, we have the right to demand compensation," Hercules' lawyer, Gusti Randa, was quoted as saying by Antara.

Hercules sued the magazine over its story on people in Jakarta: "The Metropolis Kings" on August, in which an article alleged he was a gang leader who had made his name in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. -- Antara