President Jokowi to Attend Defamation Trial Stage of Evidence Presentation

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) intends to personally attend court during the evidence presentation phase of a defamation lawsuit filed against him. His lawyer, Yakup Hasibuan, confirmed this intention, stating that the President wishes to personally present authentic evidence, including his academic certificates. "Mr. Jokowi wants to attend the trial to present his diplomas from elementary school, junior high school, and the high school and UGM diplomas that have been seized (as evidence)," Hasibuan told reporters after meeting with Jokowi at his private residence in Banjarsari, Solo, on Monday (July 13), as quoted by detikJang. While confirming his readiness to appear, Hasibuan noted that the exact timing of Jokowi's attendance will depend on the arrangements made by the presiding judges and the public prosecutor. He emphasized that Jokowi will appear during the evidence presentation stage, which is a crucial phase of the trial. "Of course, it will be during the evidence presentation agenda. We will leave it to the panel of judges whether to invite Mr. Jokowi at the beginning, in the middle, or perhaps at the end of the evidence presentation," Hasibuan explained. According to Hasibuan, Jokowi's decision to attend the trial in person is a form of respect for the legal process in Indonesia. He stressed that Jokowi strongly hopes the case will be resolved quickly to establish clear legal certainty. "To this day, Mr. Jokowi remains firm that he will attend. His hope is that the case will be quickly brought to the evidence presentation stage so that he can achieve legal certainty and the case can be concluded swiftly," Hasibuan stated. Regarding Roy Suryo's pre-trial motion (praperadilan), Hasibuan said Jokowi respects the court's decision. The President's primary concern is the swift resolution of the diploma issue. "Yes, we also updated on that earlier, that this is Roy's second pre-trial. If there are further ones, Mr. Jokowi certainly respects the ongoing process," he explained. "The important thing is his incentive is for this case to be quickly tried to the evidence presentation stage, so that he can achieve legal certainty and the case can be concluded swiftly, so there is an end to this case, that's it," he said. Previously, the South Jakarta District Court partially granted Roy Suryo's pre-trial motion concerning search, arrest, and detention. The pre-trial judge ruled that this decision did not affect the substance of the case. Roy Suryo then filed a pre-trial motion regarding his suspect status. The pre-trial hearing was held today at the South Jakarta District Court. For information, the police have completed the investigation of Roy Suryo and Dr. Tifa. Both were subsequently handed over to the South Jakarta Prosecutor's Office pending the trial. The prosecutor's office then decided not to detain Roy and Tifa. The prosecutor has submitted the case files to the East Jakarta District Court. Tifa has undergone her first hearing, while Roy's first hearing is awaiting the outcome of his pre-trial motion.