'Rakyat Merdeka' suit continues

'Rakyat Merdeka' suit continues

JAKARTA: The South Jakarta district court decided that there
was enough grounds to proceed with the lawsuit filed by Golkar
chairman Akbar Tandjung against Rakyat Merdeka daily's chief
editor Karim Paputungan for defamation.

Akbar, who was recently found guilty and given three years for
corruption by the Central Jakarta district court, sued Karim for
publishing a caricature featuring a shirtless Akbar with a
glaring heading: "Akbar is doomed, Golkar cries" early last year.

Presiding judge Asnawati said on Thursday that a preliminary
trial had rejected Karim's defense that the caricature did not
mean to insult Akbar, who is also the House Speaker.

Bachtiar Sitanggang, Karim's lawyer, denied the defamation
charge, saying that there was no statement or sentence in the
caricature that could be taken as defamation.

The trial was adjourned until next month to hear to the
testimonies of Akbar and other witnesses.

Defamation carries a maximum jail sentence of one year and
four months. --JP