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View all search resultsSouth Jakarta court rejects Agriculture Ministry’s suit over Tempo report
Tempo’s lawyers argued that the lawsuit was filed in bad faith, noting that the ministry had bypassed the right of reply and right of correction required under the Press Law before suing.
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President Prabowo Subianto (center) chairs a meeting on Feb. 3, on food security with the attendance from Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin (left) and Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman (right). (The Jakarta Post/Agriculture Ministry)
T
he South Jakarta District Court has dismissed a civil lawsuit filed by Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman against news outlet Tempo, ruling that the case falls outside the court’s jurisdiction.
The lawsuit targeted Tempo’s investigative report exposing alleged irregularities in the state’s rice distribution program, published as the government was celebrating a record harvest season that President Prabowo Subianto touted as evidence of progress toward national food security goals.
The Agriculture Ministry accused Tempo of slandering its work and “harming its credibility”, seeking Rp 200 billion (US$13.5 million) in immaterial damages and Rp 19.2 million in material losses.
In an interlocutory decision on Monday, the panel of judges granted Tempo’s objection, ruling that the dispute falls under the authority of the Press Council as stipulated in the Press Law.
“The court grants the defendant’s objection and declares that it has no jurisdiction over this matter,” the ruling states, ordering the Agriculture Ministry to pay Rp 240,000 in court fees.
Tempo’s lawyers argued that the lawsuit was filed in bad faith, noting that the ministry had bypassed the right of reply and right of correction required under the Press Law before suing, and instead pursued Rp 200 billion damages that they viewed as an act of “intimidation”.
Read also: Analysis: Agriculture minister leads attack on press freedom
