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Ahok's lawyers object to expert witness from MUI
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Blasphemy defendant Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama enters the Agriculture Ministry's auditorium, in which his 10th hearing was held on Feb. 13. (sindonews.com/POOL/Isra Triansyah/via JP)
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awyers of Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama filed a motion to reject Muhammad Amin Suma as an expert witness for the prosecution in the 10th hearing of Ahok’s blasphemy trial conducted by the North Jakarta District Court at the makeshift courtroom in the Agriculture Ministry’s auditorium, South Jakarta.
Amin was a witness proposed by the prosecutors and was scheduled to testify as an expert on Islam.
Ahok’s lawyers rejected Suma as an expert witness because they questioned his neutrality. Suma was the deputy head on fatwas at the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). Lawyers argued his background created a conflict of interest if he were to testify.
The prosecution argued that Suma's testimony would be still legitimate because Suma was summoned by the police during the investigation of the case.
Judges later rejected the motion and still gave Suma the opportunity to testify.
"We will decide later whether to use his testimony or not," said Dwiarso Budi, the head of the panel of judges.
The 10th hearing was to hear the testimonies from four expert witnesses from the prosecution. Other scheduled witnesses besides Suma were law experts Mudzakkir and Abdul Chair Ramadhan, as well as Mahyuni, a language expert. (kkk/evi)
