Gov`t Confirms No Wiretapping Done to Former President SBY

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Law and Human Rights, Yasonna Laoly, firmly denies the rumors saying that the government is currently spying on the Sixth Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), in relations to the blasphemy trial involving non-active Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama.

“The government guarantees that we never intend to intervene [in a form of] phone-tapping that is currently suggested by the public,” Yasonna said during a meeting between state officials on Thursday, February 2, 2017.

According to the Minister, the allegations stated by SBY of an alleged phone-tapping must first be clarified to Ahok’s legal team since the authority to conduct such practices can only be granted by the police, judiciary, and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

“I think it needs to be clarified by the lawyer, it’s possibly a media report that was cited by the legal team (which was then used as evidence),” said Minister Yasonna.

The rumor started when Ahok’s lawyer, during the blasphemy trial, mentioned about evidence he had related to a phone conversation between SBY with MUI chairman Ma’aruf Amin. The content of the conversation allegedly discussed was a meeting taking place between Ma’aruf Amin and SBY’s eldest son, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, who is also currently running for Jakarta Gubernatorial.

SBY himself did not believe that he was wiretapped. He says that former presidents, such as himself, receive security protection from the Indonesian presidential security (Paspampres). Everything that he does as an individual is securely guarded up to the secrecy of his conversations.

“So, I’m still unsure whether I was tapped or not. If it’s true, [then] the  Information and Electronic Transactions (ITE) Law mentioned in Article 31 can be used. It says any individual that purposely and without right or violates the law in tapping (spying) through a computer or certain electronic devices owned by another individual will be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years or a maximum fine of Rp800 million,” said the former President.

SBY further explained, “the ball isn’t [held] by me, not by Pak Ma’aruf Amin, not by Pak Ahok and his lawyers, but it’s in the hands of law enforcers and the Indonesian Police. If it’s the state institution that has tapped me, then the ball is in [the hands] of Pak Jokowi.” 

ANTARA