The daughter of former president Soeharto, Siti Hardiyanti âTututâ Rukmana, on Monday filed a police report against media mogul and Hanura Party vice-presidential hopeful Hary Tanoesoedibjo, claiming the latter has refused to give up national network MNC TV despite a Supreme Court ruling that she is the legitimate owner
he daughter of former president Soeharto, Siti Hardiyanti 'Tutut' Rukmana, on Monday filed a police report against media mogul and Hanura Party vice-presidential hopeful Hary Tanoesoedibjo, claiming the latter has refused to give up national network MNC TV despite a Supreme Court ruling that she is the legitimate owner.
Tutut's lawyer, Dedy Kurniadi, accused Hary and MNC TV president director, Sang Nyoman Suwisma, of prohibiting Tutut's son, Dandy Rukmana, and Muhammad Jarman from entering the station's headquarters in Jakarta on Jan. 11.
According to Dedy, Dandy and Jarman are the station's legitimate directors based on a Supreme Court verdict issued on October 2013.
'There have been concerted efforts to prevent the legitimate directors from performing their duty,' Dedy said after filing the report at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta.
In the Supreme Court's decision, it found that Tutut was the rightful owner of a 75 percent share of MNC TV ' overturning a lower court verdict that named the company PT Berkah Karya Bersama as the primary stakeholder.
PT Berkah argued that the company had taken over Tutut's shares in MNC TV, originally named Indonesia Education Television (TPI), in 2005 through a debt-to-equity conversion.
PT Berkah's lawyer, Andi Simangunsong, argued that Tutut did not retain the rights to control the television station as the company had sold its shares to MNC Group, which is controlled by Hary.
'MNC Group and HT [Hary] as an individual have never been involved in the case. They are not bound to the verdict,' Andi said in a telephone interview on Monday.
Andi added that Tutut's attempt to regain control of the television station was in 'bad timing' as PT Berkah was still trying to appeal the Supreme Court ruling.
'We have requested a case review with the Supreme Court and filed the case with the Indonesian National Arbitration Agency [BANI]. If they [Tutut] want to execute the verdict, it must be done with the court's permission,' he said.
According to the court verdict, PT Berkah is located in Menara Kebon Sirih, or in the same location as the MNC Group's office. Andi denied that the two companies were linked, but declined to name PT Berkah's stakeholders.
'The owner is not Pak Hary or anyone related to MNC Group. I am not in the position to specify [the stakeholders],' Andi added.
Through advertising and programming, Hary has been using MNC TV to promote the Hanura Party and its presidential aspirant, former Indonesian Military commander Gen. (ret) Wiranto, in the run-up to the elections.
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