Projo Welcomes Arrest of Roy Suryo and Dr Tifa as Progress in Jokowi Diploma Case
The volunteer organisation supporting Indonesia’s seventh president, Joko Widodo (Jokowi), Projo, has spoken out regarding the arrest of two suspects in the Jokowi fake diploma case, Roy Suryo and Tifauziah Tyassuma, known as Dr Tifa, on Friday morning. Projo views the arrests as progress in the investigation into the alleged defamation case concerning Jokowi’s diploma.
“Projo respects the legal process that the National Police have been conducting for some time. This legal action by the National Police represents progress in the investigation,” said Projo Central Executive Board Secretary General Freddy Alex Damanik in a statement on Friday afternoon. He added that the public strongly supports the legal process so that progress can be made and the final outcome can be known.
Freddy reminded all parties to respect the legal process being carried out by the National Police, just as society respects freedom of expression. He said Projo also respects the principle of presumption of innocence for Roy Suryo and Dr Tifa as suspects. Freddy also expressed hope that the fake diploma case would serve as a lesson for everyone, noting that expressing an opinion differs from making accusations against another party that could have legal implications.
Meanwhile, Jokowi offered little comment on the latest developments in the case he reported a year ago. He stated that he is ready to follow the ongoing legal process. “We will follow the legal process until the court hearing. Because it is the court that will ultimately decide,” Jokowi said when met by journalists at his residence in Sumber, Solo, on Friday afternoon.
The Jakarta Metropolitan Police arrested Roy Suryo and Dr Tifa at their respective residences on Friday morning. Roy Suryo’s legal counsel, Ahmad Khozinudin, said his client was arrested at his home in Bintaro, South Tangerang, Banten. He described the arrest as unethical, claiming police entered a private room and did not wait for legal counsel to arrive. Ahmad stated that the request from his client and his wife to wait for a legal advisor was ignored, and they were threatened with handcuffs if they did not comply, calling the action uncivilised amid the implementation of the new Criminal Code.
Meanwhile, Dr Tifa’s defence team stated that she was arrested at her apartment around 6:47 a.m. Western Indonesia Time. Her lawyer explained that she was supposed to sit her doctoral dissertation examination at the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Medicine, but due to the arrest, the examination was forced to take place online from a room at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police headquarters. A photo provided by her legal team showed Dr Tifa in a room facing an open laptop, with a bundle of scientific papers bearing a green cover and the University of Indonesia logo beside her.
As of the time of reporting, the Jakarta Metropolitan Police had not yet issued a statement regarding the arrests of Roy Suryo and Dr Tifa. Earlier this month, the police stated that the case files for both suspects had been declared complete, or P21, by the Jakarta High Prosecutor’s Office.