Surakarta District Court Judges Reject Deciding Oath in Jokowi's Diploma Lawsuit
The Surakarta District Court panel of judges has rejected the plaintiffs’ request for a deciding oath in the citizen lawsuit (CLS) concerning the S1 diploma from the Faculty of Forestry at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) belonging to the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo.
Presiding Judge Achmad Satibi announced the rejection during the final evidentiary hearing of case number 211/Pdt.G/2025/PN Skt on Tuesday (17/3/2026). The lawsuit was filed by two UGM alumni, Top Taufan and Bangun Sutoto.
With the request denied, the plaintiffs’ attempt to verify the diploma’s authenticity via a deciding oath cannot proceed. The next hearing will enter the conclusions phase before the verdict, scheduled for 31 March 2026.
The plaintiffs’ legal counsel, Andika Prasetyo, stated that they had anticipated the panel would not grant the request. According to him, the deciding oath was sought because the original diploma was never shown during the trial.
“We filed the deciding oath request because up to the final evidentiary stage, the diploma was never presented. But this was already factored into our calculations as a likely rejection,” Andika said after the hearing.
He added that the rejection forms part of the legal strategy considered by their team from the outset.
Meanwhile, another legal counsel for the plaintiffs, M Taufik, responded to statements made by witness Rismon Hasiholan Sianipar outside the courtroom claiming Jokowi’s diploma is authentic. Taufik emphasised that Rismon’s testimony in court remains valid and binding.
“The testimony in court is still true and remains valid. The individual has not retracted their oath in the courtroom,” Taufik said.
NO LEGAL CLAIM
According to him, statements made outside the courtroom carry no legal weight. He also questioned the claim of a re-examination mentioned by Rismon.
“The question is, when was that research conducted? Two weeks prior, the individual appeared in court and stated the opposite,” he said.
Taufik stressed that if someone wishes to retract their testimony, it must be done within the courtroom in accordance with civil procedure rules. He noted that differing statements outside court could lead to legal consequences.
“If reported, it could result in a criminal case under applicable provisions,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Joko Widodo’s legal counsel, YB Irpan, declined to comment after the hearing. He said his side would prepare conclusions ahead of the verdict hearing, planned to be held virtually at the end of March.