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Witnesses quizzed in George-Ramadhan case
The police has begun investigating the case of the controversial author, George Junus Aditjondro, allegedly throwing a book at Jurnal Nasional chief editor Ramadhan Pohan
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he police has begun investigating the case of the controversial author, George Junus Aditjondro, allegedly throwing a book at Jurnal Nasional chief editor Ramadhan Pohan.
The police has questioned three witnesses including Ramadhan, who filed a report to the police shortly after George, reportedly losing control of his temper, suddenly raised his right hand and hit Ramadhan in the face using a copy of the book in the middle of his book launch in Jakarta.
Ramadhan, while denying accusations published in the book, was said to have provoked George.
“So far we’ve questioned three witnesses, including the man who filed the report,” South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Gatot Eddy Pramono said Monday.
“George will be questioned last, after all witnesses have been questioned. We don’t know yet when that’ll be,” he added.
George’s book, entitled Membongkar Gurita Cikeas: Di Balik Skandal Bank Century (Unmasking the Cikeas Octopus: Behind the Bank Century Scandal), suggests controversial links between President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Bank Century bailout.
A number of prominent names are mentioned in the book, including Ramadhan, editor in chief of the Jurnal Nasional daily, which is part of the Jurnal Nasional group of publications.
George suggests in the book that the group may have received some of the Rp 6.7 trillion (approximately US$710 million) Bank Century bailout funds, citing a Supreme Audit Agency report from Nov. 20, 2009, which stated the bank suffered from losses because it had to cover a deposit, made by Boedi Sampoerna, which was embezzled by bank commissioner Robert Tantular and executive Dewi Tantular.
The Jurnal Nasional group was widely known as a mouthpiece for President Yudhoyono and his Democratic Party during the 2009 legislative and presidential elections.
Shortly after George hit him, Ramadhan left the event, yelling, “George just hit me. I will report him to the police.”
He reported George for “misconduct”, which carries a maximum sentence of 32 months in jail or a Rp 400,000 fine.
But George defended himself, saying that he wanted to stop Ramadhan’s misconception of the book.
“My hand did not touch him, neither did my book,” he told reporters after the incident.
Broadcast TV footage, however, shows that the book very likely hit Ramadhan’s face.
