TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Head of the Press Council's Legal Division, Yosep Adi Prasetyo, said that Tempo Magazine cannot be criminalized for reporting on Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan's suspicious financial transactions. According to Stanley - as Yosep is known - Tempo's investigative report is a journalistic product that needs to be protected for the sake of the common good.

"There needs to be some leeway for investigative pieces - it should be allowed to breach the code of ethics as long as the purpose of the report is to provide a service for the general public," said Stanley at a press conference at the Press Council's Headquarters in Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta on Tuesday, March 3, 2015.

According to Stanley, Tempo did not leak sensitive and classified state secret by creating the infographic which details the flow of funds from Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan's bank accounts to several other parties.

Should the case be brought to court, Tempo could invoke its' right to refuse in order to protect its' source of information. That said, according to Stanley, a judge could revoke the move. "Ultimately, it is up to Tempo whether it wants to divulge the name of its' source or not," he said.

If Tempo decides to reveal the name of the whistleblower, then the source could be charge for divulging classified state documents. Should they refuse to do so, then Tempo could face criminal charges for publishing the infographics.

"The public's trust on Indonesia's media will be harmed if Tempo decides to reveal the whistleblower. Sources with important information would start to think twice before speaking out. As such, this case is really a test of credibility for the Indonesian media," said Stanley.

On behalf of the Press Council, Stanley has asked police authorities to allow the Press Council to decide on the matter by holding an ethics trial to evaluate Tempo's report. "We'll decide on the mechanism later," he said.

DEWI SUCI RAHAYU