Jakarta – Lawyers for Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama reported Islamic Defender's Front, or FPI, secretary general Novel Chaidir Hasan for allegedly defaming Ahok and presenting false testimony during the on-going blasphemy trial.

"We have reported Novel against article 310, 311, 316 and 242 of the Criminal Law, in which he had allegedly defamed [Ahok] and provided false testimonies to the court," Ahok's lawyer, Rolas B. Sitinjak said in Jakarta on Monday (15/01).

Rolas said that during the trial, Novel claimed Ahok engineered a case so he would serve a jail sentence. "Novel also claimed that Ahok had killed two of his men. This is basically the legal case," he added.

The lawyers submitted the evidence of a recording and transcript of the testimony to the police, including several news articles.

"In the trial session, Novel clearly claimed that Ahok had murdered his men, that Ahok had engineered a case where he was imprisoned. This case was entirely different, where the court had given its verdict and we should not comment," Rolas said.

"So, Novel claimed that it was all Ahok's doing, whereas he did not know of the matter – in terms of he did not want to fuss about it, as the legal process had been applied," he added.

"Our client [Ahok] said the slander was outrageous. So, let us prove it by law. Do not make opinions, ideas, instead let the law prove it. We think we will answer all of these through a legal process," Rolas concluded.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/fpi-secretary-general-reported-police-false-testimony-defamation/