BOGOR (BJN) - After the plaintiff fails to attend for the second time, the panel of judges held a third hearing with the agenda of evidence from the plaintiff. However, when the trial was about to begin, it turned out that the attorney from the defendant ABC was present," said Zulkifli, when interviewed in his room, Thursday (5/25/2023). Because of the presence of the defendant, said Zulkifli, the panel of judges finally gave the defendant the opportunity to prove legal standing as legal counsel at the next hearing.
Head of Public Relations of the Central Jakarta District Court, Zulkifli, has responded to the news that has been circulating in various media related to the trial process of lawsuit case number: 150/Pdt.G/2023/PN Jkt.Pst, Hussain Muhammad Nasr Al Masmawi (47) against the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Head of Public Relations Zulkifli stated that the accusation made by Hussain as the plaintiff that the clerk and the panel of judges were tricking him was not true.
So for the hearing, for which he said the plaintiff was present and had been waiting from morning until afternoon, Zulkifli said, it might have been due to language matters. "When case number 150 was called, it could be that the plaintiff did not notice so the hearing continued at 11 am with the presence of the defendant," said Zukifli.
Zulkifli admitted that at the time of the third hearing, the new attorney would just register his power of attorney to fulfill administrative requirements. When asked about the rules of procedural law that were violated when the attorney had not registered his power of attorney, Zulkifli said the panel of judges had the right to give the defendant's attorney the opportunity. "They came and we had no reason to reject them," he said.
Responding to Zulkifli's statement, Hussain, who was contacted over the phone on Thursday (25/5/2023) in Jakarta, said he was surprised. "At the same time, the honorable court did not consider my presence on May 17 as actual and legitimate. That deprives me of my legitimate, official, and legal rights," said Hussain.
Zulkifli also commented on the issue of the trial on May 17, 2023, which was considered by the plaintiff to be a fallacy because the clerk and the panel of judges were scheming on him.
"Every trial, the judge must have the entire trial agenda in his hands. So every time the trial will begin, the judge will call by only mentioning the case number. When it is summoned and no one is present, the trial is continued and the postponement is determined through a trial decision," he explained.
He also added that at that time he had proof that his presence was legal and official, registered and documented. And he was also accompanied by an official translator and a number of friends. "What is strange is that the honorable court did not discuss at all what happened on May 17, and did not confirm my presence. Whereas I was present and registered electronically, and was actually present in the honorable court from 10:00 to 16:30," said Hussain, accompanied by photographic evidence of the barcode and photos of attendance in front of the courtroom.
