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Trial for fibbing tabloid inches closer
The new leadership at the National Police has made progress on the stalled investigation into a case of defamation against President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo â one that has sat idle for six months and is thought to have been carried out by associates of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
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he new leadership at the National Police has made progress on the stalled investigation into a case of defamation against President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo ' one that has sat idle for six months and is thought to have been carried out by associates of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The National Police said on Wednesday that it had finalized the dossiers of those involved in the publication of Obor Rakyat (People's Torch), the tabloid that falsely reported Jokowi to be a Christian of Chinese descent during last year's presidential campaign.
National Police spokesman Comr. Gen. Agus Rianto said that all case materials had been handed over by the National Police's detective division to the Central Jakarta Prosecutor's Office early on Wednesday.
'The case was declared complete on Monday,' he said.
In July, the National Police named the tabloid's founder, Setiyardi Boediono, and its editor, Darmawan Sepriyossa, suspects in the case.
Setiyardi was at that time an assistant to a special staffer of then president Yudhoyono, Velix Wangai, while Darmawan was a senior editor at the online news portal inilah.com. Setyiardi is also a confidant of Yudyonono's other special staffer, Andi Arief.
Setiyardi has claimed it was funds generated during his stint as a commissioner at state plantation company PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) XIII that financed the tabloid.
The tabloid's first edition circulated in East Java Islamic boarding schools, the stronghold of Nahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Muslim organization.
Jokowi's campaign team claimed the falsehoods damaged Jokowi's popularity, undermining support from devoted Muslim voters in the region that was already weak.
The investigation's slow progress is rumored to be among the reasons for the dismissal of National Police chief Gen. Sutarman and National Police detective division chief Comr. Gen. Suhardi Alius on Friday.
Sr. Comr. Agus Sarjito, however, the head of the general crimes sub-directorate IV of the National Police's detective division, denied the speculation.
Agus claimed that progress stalled because the Attorney General's Office (AGO) could not be persuaded to prosecute the case using the 1999 Press Law.
Eventually, investigators abandoned efforts because Press Council members refused to recognize Obor Rakyat a legitimate journalistic publication.
The suspects have been charged with violating Articles 156 and 157 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on spreading hate and Articles 310 and 311 on defamation. The articles carry a maximum six-year prison sentence.
AGO spokesman Tony Spontana conceded that progress in the case had been slow, but said the AGO needed to ensure there was enough evidence to prosecute the two suspects.
'The prosecutors now have everything they need; it is up to them to make sure the case can be proven in court,' he said.
Tony explained that seven prosecutors had been assigned to the case and were currently in the process of composing the indictment. Once the indictment was ready, he said, it would be filed with the Central Jakarta District Court, where Setiyardi and Darmawan would be tried.
'Writing up the case indictment does not take a long time. It usually only takes a week to finish, sometimes less. So the case will go to trial very soon,' Tony said.
