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Court grants Ahok divorce petition, custody of children
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Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama (left) and his wife, Veronica Tan, hold up their inked pinkies after casting their ballots in the Jakarta gubernatorial election on Feb. 15, 2017. (Antara/Hafidz Mubarak A)
T
he North Jakarta District Court has accepted the divorce petition of former Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama against his wife Veronica Tan and granted the custody of their two younger children to Ahok.
Ahok filed a divorce petition to the court on Jan. 5 over allegations of infidelity on Veronica’s part.
"We have decided the marriage bond be cut off with all the legal consequences," judge head Sutaji told the court on Wednesday.
The judges also granted the custody of the former couple's younger children, Nathania Berniece Zhong and Daud Albeener Purnama, to Ahok.
Their first child, Nicholas Sean Purnama, will determine his own custody status due to being of age.
The judges found adequate proof of Veronica’s infidelity and said she had neglected her duties as wife by having an affair with another man named Julianto Tio.
However, because the former governor is still serving his two-year prison term at the Mobile Brigade Command detention center (Mako Brimob) in Depok, West Java, Veronica will take care of the children before transferring them to Ahok when he finishes his blasphemy sentence.
Veronica, who did not attend all the divorce trial sessions, is also obligated to pay the legal fees of the court proceedings, up to Rp 476,000 (US$33.32)
Ahok is represented by his legal team led by Fify Lety Indra, who is also his sister. (ami)
