Nine legislators accused of defamation

JAKARTA (JP): Five lawyers calling themselves the Advocacy Team for Upholding the Supremacy of Law, reported nine members of the House of Representatives to the police on Monday for defaming and slandering President Abdurrahman Wahid.

The nine legislators are House Speaker Akbar Tandjung, House Deputy Speakers Soetardjo Soerjoguritno, A.M. Fatwa and Tosari Wijaya; and legislators Bachtiar Chamsyah, Ahmad Hafiz Zawawi, Chodijah H.M. Saleh, Farhan Hamid and Hamdan Zoelva.

One of the lawyers, Indra Sahnun Lubis, accused the nine legislators of violating Article 310 of the Criminal Code on defamation which carries a maximum punishment of nine months in jail.

Indra said the nine legislators violated the law as they accused President of involvement in two scandals, commonly known as Buloggate and Bruneigate.

"Based on the testimony of the witnesses in the case, the President was not involved," he told reporters at National Police headquarters, adding that he and his associates were complaining to the police as citizens and not as the representatives of Abdurrahman.

He said the findings of the House Special Committee, which confirmed Abdurrahman's involvement, were based on a conspiracy instead of legal facts.

Based on the findings of the Committee, chaired by Bachtiar of the United Development Party (PPP), legislators Zawawi of the Golkar Party, Chodijah of PPP, Farhan of the Reform Faction and Hamdan of the Crescent and Star Party (PBB) also accused Abdurrahman of concocting "public lies".

Indra and his friends believed that Akbar, Soetardjo, Fatwa and Tosari, who led the plenary session on Thursday, were also involved in inciting others to commit a crime.

Asked whether President Abdurrahman had been informed of their complaints, another lawyer Victor W. Nadapdap said, "It wouldn't be ethical if we mentioned it."

Indra, Victor and their three fellow lawyers had earlier represented Abdurrahman's masseur Agung Alip Suwondo who is currently on trial in the North Jakarta District Court.

Suwondo, with the help of Sapuan, deputy chief of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), was the alleged unlawful recipient of Rp 35 billion from the agency's Yanatera employee foundation in February of last year.

Abdurrahman has repeatedly denied any involvement in the scandal. He has also denied playing a role in the other scandal involving a US$2 million donation from the Sultan of Brunei Hasanal Bolkiah.

Meanwhile, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Saleh Saaf said the police would study the complaint filled by Indra and his colleagues.

"If there is any evidence of defamation, we will question the legislators," Saleh told reporters.

He said that no one in the country was immune from legal action if they broke the law, including legislators, although in the case of legislators there were special requirements, such as presidential consent for their questioning.

He said that as citizens, the lawyers were perfectly entitled to make a report to the police if they considered that the legislators had defamed the President.

However, Saleh suggested that the lawyers should use Article 134 of the Criminal Code on defamation of the President and Vice President, instead of the Article 310 which needed a statement from the President.

"If the President does not feel himself defamed, then Article 310 will be useless against the legislators," he added. (jun/ylt)