Jakarta Police respect interim ruling in Doctor Tifa's diploma defamation case

Jakarta Metropolitan Police acknowledge and respect the interim court decision in the defamation case concerning former President Joko Widodo's academic diploma. The case, being heard at the East Jakarta District Court, has Tifauzia Tyassuma, also known as Doctor Tifa, as the defendant.

"As law-abiding citizens who respect the law, we naturally respect the decision made by the Honorable Judge," stated Director of General Criminal Investigation for the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, Commissioner General Iman Imanuddin. However, he noted that the Public Prosecutor still has the chance to amend the indictment, indicating the case is not definitively over and may still move to the examination phase.

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As law-abiding citizens who respect the law, we naturally respect the decision made by the Honorable Judge.

The panel of judges at the East Jakarta District Court granted Doctor Tifa's objection, declaring the prosecutor's indictment null and void due to a lack of meticulous preparation. Chief Judge Christina Endarwati explained that the court accepted the defense team's objection, ordering the prosecutor to retrieve the case file and assigning costs to the state. This ruling halts the trial before the examination of the main case begins.

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This ambiguity in determining the charges creates legal uncertainty and demonstrates that the prosecutor was not meticulous in drafting the indictment.

In their deliberation, the judges found the indictment to be imprecise, unclear, and incomplete. They also noted inconsistencies in the legal basis used by the prosecutor, who combined old and new Criminal Code provisions for the same offense. "This ambiguity in determining the charges creates legal uncertainty and demonstrates that the prosecutor was not meticulous in drafting the indictment," Christina stated.

Toni Suhartono, a lawyer from the Doctor Tifa Defense Team, expressed appreciation for the judges' decision. "We greatly appreciate the judges having the courage to make such a decision," he said. However, he noted that the core issues the defense team wished to prove had not yet been examined. He confirmed the team is prepared with evidence and witnesses should a new indictment be filed, which is the prosecutor's prerogative. Yakup Hasibuan, a lawyer for the complainant (Jokowi), stated that his side respects the interim ruling, emphasizing that the indictment's cancellation is not the end of the proceedings as prosecutors can still revise and resubmit it.

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We greatly appreciate the judges having the courage to make such a decision.