Novel Baswedan Claims to Have Been Informed of Court's Verdict

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Novel Baswedan, a senior investigator of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), claimed he was not surprised at the court’s verdict in which his attackers Rahmat Kadir Mahulettu and Ronny Bugis were sentenced to 2-year and 1.5-year imprisonment. Both were accused of splashing acid liquid against Novel on April 11, 2017.

“Since the onset of the trial process, I have received information from many sources that the court’s ruling will not exceed two years in jail,” said Novel in Jakarta, Thursday, July 16.

He had also stated that since the beginning, the trials had been filled with many irregularities and issues, concluding it had been prepared to fail, or a show trial.

The panel of judges of the North Jakarta District Court charged Rahmat with severe persecution against Novel. The sentence was reduced by the detention period that the latter had served.

Novel refused to say that the verdict reflected the triumph of criminals and corruptors. Yet, he was worried that the end of the trials was the real reflection of the country that was not in favor of efforts to combat corruption.

Novel Baswedan was also worried that efforts to push for disclosure of cases of attacks against KPK officers thus far would be getting more difficult. “As well as against people who are persecuted while fighting to tackle corruption,” he said.

Read: Novel Baswedan Says His Attackers Better Off Released

FAJAR PEBRIANTO