Jakarta – An "unknown group" has purchased the entire print run of Indonesian Infotainment tabloid C&R featuring a cover story about rape allegations centering on a Indonesian legislator.

Ilham Bintang, chief editor of the tabloid, formerly known as Check & Recheck, told state news agency Antara that mystery buyers on Tuesday purchased all 100,000 copies of the newspaper, which sells for Rp 6,000 ($70 cents) per copy.

Ilham said they had reprinted another 100,000 copies on Wednesday "because the public's right to information must not be beaten by any form of monetary strength."

The allegations printed in the tabloid are not new. The House of Representatives Ethics Council has previously indicated that it would look into allegations that M. Nazaruddin, a member of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, raped a sales promotion girl in a Bandung hotel during the party's national congress in May.

The newspaper, however, quoted a source as saying that Bandung Police had obtained evidence that included a medical examination of the alleged victim and closed-circuit television footage from the hotel in question. Despite the alleged incident, neither the police, House or Democratic Party are yet to take formal action in relation to the claims.

Ahmad Mubarok, a senior member of the Democratic Party's consultative body, told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday that the party was not behind the mass purchase of the newspaper. "We have already checked," he said. "It is untrue." Ahmad said the party had not considered suing the tabloid.

Fellow Democratic lawmaker Ruhut Sitompul, however, was quoted by the tabloid as saying that the party would not defend Nazarudin if evidence was found to suggest he was guilty of the offense.

Press Council member Wina Armada alleged the mysterious mass purchase related to the tabloid's cover story, adding that the article did not breach journalism standards.

Deputy House Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso, from the Golkar Party, said he had hoped the case did not receive media exposure. "But I think my hopes are useless... However, I don't think that the facts are that spectacular," he said.

Priyo said he would let the Ethics Council conduct the investigation, saying he hoped people considered the case a private matter and not a legal one. "People should not stereotype legislators," he added. (Antara, JG)