Jakarta. Erick Thohir, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, has filed a defamation suit against political activist Faizal Assegaf, who allegedly accused him of having “many wives” and being a “irresponsible father.”
“Mr. Erick Thohir is deeply disturbed and offended by Faizal Assegaf’s social media post, which deliberately seeks to undermine his personal integrity, honor, and reputation,” Erick’s attorney, Ifdhal Kasim, told reporters on Friday.
According to Ifdhal, Faizal posted a video on his Instagram account with false narrations claiming that Erick “has many wives he has secretly married” and refused to pay tuition fees for “a child from his first wife.”
“Mr. Erick is a father of two sons and two daughters, and it is false that he has many wives or a reputation for being married multiple times,” the lawyer stated.
Faizal’s video features lawyer Kamaruddin Simanjuntak leveling unrelated allegations against the president director of a state-owned pension management company Taspen, whom he accuses of collecting Rp 300 trillion for a presidential candidate.
While Kamaruddin did not mention Erick by name in the video, Ifdhal claims that Faizal placed the defamatory narration against Erick.
“This is a malicious slander,” said former National Commission for Human Rights Chairman Ifdhal.
According to the lawyer, Erick is completely focused on his work as a cabinet member and has yet to make a political decision about the 2024 presidential election, despite the fact that many parties have urged him to do so.
“Mr. Erick’s hard work has helped turn losing and heavily subsidized SOEs into healthy and profitable businesses,” the lawyer said, without going into further detail.
Source: the Jakarta Globe
