Romo relatives lose court case

YOGYAKARTA: Relatives of the late essayist and novelist Y.B. Mangunwijaya (Romo Mangun) lost on Tuesday any legal claim to the deceased's estate which was bequeathed to a church and an educational foundation.

The Sleman District Court rejected a lawsuit filed by six of Romos' relatives who were contesting the will.

Agustinus Purnama, a brother of Romo Mangun, said they planned to appeal to a higher court to claim at least part of the estate, which was bequeathed to the Semarang archdiocese and the Dinamika Edukasi Dasar Foundation.

The relatives said under the civil code, they were entitled to obtain part of the estate because a bequest may not exceed one third of the total.

In 1994, Romo Mangun bequeathed all of his estate as a writer, cultural observer and architect to the archdiocese, where he worked as priest. He asked the archdiocese to take full charge of the estate and use it for public interest.

The foundation, which was set up and chaired by Romo Mangun, is entitled to manage and continue most of the social work initiated by its founder.(swa/bby)