Court drops criminal charges against Prita
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 06/25/2009 1:34 PM
The Tangerang district court threw out Wednesday Omni International
Hospital’s case against Prita Mulyasari, a former patient they accused of libel for complaining about their service via email.
Prosecutors accused her of defamation under an article of the Information Technology law, which carries a maximum sentence of six years imprisonment and fines of Rp 1 billion (US$ 100,000).
However, presiding judge Karel Tuppu said that the law was not applicable because it does not take effect until the government issues accompanying regulations.
"Taking into account the fact that this law is not yet effective, the court hereby declares the charges inapplicable,"
Karel said, leading to a teary outburst of thankfulness from Prita and a roar of applause from observers.
Syamsu Anwar, Prita's lawyer, said legal action against the hospital's doctors is a possibility.
In a September 2008 civil lawsuit the court ordered her to pay Rp 50 million (US$4,700) of the Rp 400 million compensation demanded by the hospital, as well as make a public apology in two print media outlets.
"We may sue them for giving false testimony [during the civil lawsuit trial]," he said.
The prosecutors, meanwhile, said that they may take action against the court's decision.
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