AGO submits Ahok's case dossier to court, awaits trial date

The Attorney General's Office (AGO) says it submitted a dossier for a blasphemy case involving Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama to the North Jakarta District Court on Thursday afternoon. 

"We have delivered the case to the North Jakarta District Court to respond to public demands to settle this case in court soon. We are just waiting for the date for the trial now," said AGO spokesman M. Rum. 

(Read also: I will not protect Ahok: Jokowi)
Earlier on Thursday, the National Police officially handed over evidence for Ahok's case to the AGO after it declared on Wednesday morning that the 826-page dossier was complete.

Ahok has been charged under Article 156 section (a) of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on blasphemy, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. 

Ahok was named a suspect on Nov. 16, less than two weeks after thousands of protesters from Muslim groups hit the streets to urge authorities to prosecute the governor for an allegedly blasphemous statement in Thousand Islands in late September. 

The National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Ulema Council’s Fatwa (GNPF-MUI) plans to hold another protest on Friday, in the form of a mass prayer at the National Monument park, Central Jakarta, to demand Ahok’s arrest. (jun)