Jakarta – Attorney General Basrief Arief filed a lawsuit on slander against news portal Inilah.com, which reported an alleged conspiracy between the attorney general and Megawati Soekarnoputri, the chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, in the TransJakarta corruption case.

Basrief also reported to the National Police a fake letter containing the transcript of an alleged conversation between Basrief and Megawati that Faisal Assegaf, chairman of nongovernmental organization Progress 98, claimed he received from a source at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

"I hope this online news can be investigated according to the existing law, as this slander was brought about in this political condition," Basrief said.

Inilah.com was the first media that put up news about an alleged conspiracy without getting confirmation from the other side. It reported that Megawati lobbied Basrief so that presidential candidate Joko Widodo would not be taken into legal proceedings related to allegation of corruption to the TransJakarta bus procurement project worth Rp 1.5 trillion ($125 million).

Basrief said that the transcript was fictitious. He said that the Attorney General Office had not found any connection between Joko and the corruption case which saw former Jakarta Transportation Agency Udar Pristono as a suspect.

"The current [legal] process has not been linked to Jokowi, as we, law enforcers, work based on the law, referring to the investigation report," Basrief said. He called Joko by his nickname Jokowi.

Faisal could only submit the transcript of the recording, but failed to give the recording. The KPK has denied that the transcript was leaked from its office.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/attorney-general-files-lawsuit-news-portal-inilah-com-slander/