Amelia Rahima Sari, Jakarta – The Jakarta High Court has rejected an appeal filed by Indonesian Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman against Tempo in a Rp200 billion (around US$13 million) civil lawsuit, overturning a previous ruling by the South Jakarta District Court.
In a decision issued on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, the appellate panel annulled the South Jakarta District Court verdict No. 684/Pdt.G/2025/PN.Jkt Sel dated November 17, 2025, which had been challenged by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The High Court ruled to adjudicate the case on its own authority and declared the plaintiff's lawsuit inadmissible (niet ontvankelijk verklaard), according to the court's case information system.
The court also ordered the Ministry of Agriculture, as the appellant, to pay litigation costs for both trial and appeal proceedings, totaling Rp150,000.
Tempo's legal counsel, Wildanu Syahril Guntur of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute for the Press (LBH Pers), confirmed that the Jakarta High Court had dismissed Amran's appeal.
He explained that while the appellate judges annulled the lower court's ruling, they did so on the basis of formal legal deficiencies rather than on the substance of the dispute.
According to Guntur, the High Court found that the South Jakarta District Court should not have examined the case because the Press Council had not formally declared that Tempo had violated the Press Statement and Recommendation (PPR).
Under Indonesia's Press Law, disputes related to journalistic products must first be resolved through the Press Council before being brought to court.
The lawsuit stemmed from Amran's complaint over Tempo's article titled "Poles-Poles Beras Busuk" (literally "Polishing Spoiled Rice"), published on May 16, 2025.
Guntur said the dispute had already been resolved by the Press Council, with Tempo complying by revising the disputed poster headline to "Main Serap Gabah Rusak" ("Playing With Spoiled Rice Absorption").
Guntur emphasized that the High Court's ruling does not suggest that district courts lack authority to hear press-related cases in general. Rather, the appellate judges concluded that the lawsuit contained procedural flaws, rendering Amran Sulaiman's claim legally unacceptable.