Witnesses move judge to anger

Witnesses move judge to anger

JAKARTA (JP): The judge trying the libel case of politician Sri Bintang Pamungkas nearly lost his temper yesterday when he dismissed four journalists who testified for the government, as "irrelevant."

The four journalists were members of President Soeharto's entourage during a state visit to Germany last April, around the same time that Bintang allegedly made offensive remarks about the head of state.

According to the journalists, none had attended the lecture at which Bintang reportedly made the remarks. They said they only bumped into Bintang while touring Hannover.

The four journalists are Tubagus Budi Rachman of Angkatan Bersenjata, Bambang Satmoko of TVRI, Taufik Hidayat Mihardja of Kompas and Adi Kusuma Pasaribu of Sinar Indonesia Baru.

Presiding judge Syoffinan Sumantri, in an angry tone, said neither of the four witnesses should have been presented to testify because they were "irrelevant" to the case.

"However, since they have been sworn in, we have the obligation to hear their testimony," Syoffinan said.

Bintang is being accused of calling President Soeharto a "dictator" during a university lecture he delivered to Indonesian students in Berlin. If found guilty, he could be jailed for up to six years.

Bintang's lawyer Mohammad Assegaf called the testimony of the four journalists "a waste of time" and said that all they proved was Bintang's presence in Germany. "Everyone knows that Bintang was there at that time," Assegaf said.

Three witnesses for the defense who were scheduled to give their testimony failed to turn up at yesterday's hearing.

Three students who were present at Bintang's speech in Berlin could not come to Indonesia because there was no guarantee from the government that their airplane fare and expenses in Indonesia would be reimbursed, Luhut Pangaribuan, another lawyer for Bintang, told the court.

The three students scheduled to testify yesterday were Ignatius Irianto, Iwan Setiabudi and Kristanto Hendatmo Sudirman.

Five students have already testified for the government, most of whom claim they heard Bintang make the slanderous remarks.

Chief prosecutor P. Sitinjak said all witnesses would be reimbursed for their travel and accommodation costs after testifying in court.

The trial was adjourned until next Wednesday. (imn)