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Jakarta Post

Defamation claim against Ahok over 'Fitsa Hats' ridiculous: Lawyer

Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, January 6, 2017

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Defamation claim against Ahok over 'Fitsa Hats' ridiculous: Lawyer “Why make a fuss?” Jakarta-chapter Islam Defenders Front (FPI) secretary general Novel Bamukmin makes a press statement on his police report against Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama on Jan.5. (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)

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he defamation report filed by Novel Bamukmin, Islam Defenders Front (FPI) Jakarta chapter secretary, against governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama over the 'Fitsa Hats' issue is nonsensical, one of Ahok’s lawyers has said.

"The report made me laugh because ‘Fitsa Hats’ was written in his dossier. This is ridiculous," the lawyer, Fifi Lety Indra, told The Jakarta Post on Friday. 

Fifi added that during the hearing at the North Jakarta District Court on Tuesday, Novel told the judges that he stood behind his statement in the case dossier and claimed Ahok had blasphemed the police.

"If he says he stands behiind what is in the dossier, how can he say that the document contains a spelling mistake?" Fifi said, adding that Novel had signed each page of the report. 

(Read also: Ahok defamed Islam repeatedly: FPI leader)

During the press conference after his fourth hearing, Ahok said that Novel had stated in the dossier that he was a former employee of “Fitsa Hats", instead of Pizza Hut. 

Ahok suggested that the misspelling was intentionally made as an attempt to cover up the name of the restaurant, saying that Novel was ashamed to have worked for a company owned by “infidels”. 

Novel denied Ahok's accusation, saying that it was a police officer, not him, who had made the error in the investigation report.

"[Working at Pizza Hut] is my personal background, something he should not make a fuss about. Why should he make a comment about it?” Novel said at the Jakarta Police headquarters on Thursday after reporting Ahok for defamation. 

 

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