Nadiem's legal team says report against two advocates not yet seriously discussed

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Zaid Mushafi, a member of the legal team for defendant Nadiem Anwar Makarim, stated that his side has not yet seriously discussed the report filed against two of his colleagues, Ari Yusuf Amir and Dodi Abdulkadir, with the Honour Council of the Indonesian Advocates Association (Peradi). He explained that the remarks made by his colleagues, which prompted the report, were not uttered during the court proceedings. “So, if a lawyer understands when a trial session begins and when it has ended. That is if a lawyer understands,” Zaid said when met in Jakarta on Wednesday. Therefore, he said that any party reporting an advocate must first understand this matter. Consequently, he was reluctant to comment further on the report, although there is a possibility that his two colleagues will respond directly. Additionally, Zaid admitted that the legal team has not yet received information regarding the substance of the report submitted to Peradi or its details. “There may be a lot of news circulating, but we do not know the facts of the report, the violation, or who the complainant is. We also do not know their legal standing in the context of this report,” he said. The report against Nadiem’s advocates was filed by the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Civil Society Network (Jamsaki) on Thursday (2/7). The report was triggered by remarks made by the two advocates after the verdict reading in the alleged corruption case involving the procurement of Chromebooks, which ensnared Nadiem, at the Corruption Court at the Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday (30/6). At that time, the legal team shouted a question, “Why the rush, Your Honour, are you afraid?” at the panel of judges as they left the courtroom. The question was posed because the panel of judges did not ask for Nadiem’s response to the sentence handed down and immediately left the courtroom. Jamsaki deemed the statement unethical and in violation of Article 269 of the Criminal Procedure Code, constituting contempt of court and damaging the dignity of the judiciary. Jamsaki thus urged Peradi to take firm action and revoke the practising licences of the two lawyers if they are proven to have violated the Advocates’ Code of Ethics.