The Attorney General's Office Denies Allegations Of Plagiarism In Expert Testimony At Tom Lembong's Pretrial Session

Kapuspenkum Harli Siregar At The Attorney General's Office Building, Jakarta (Rizky AP/VOI)

The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has denied the accusations of plagiarism aimed at two criminal law experts, namely Prof. Hibnu Nugroho and Taufik Rahman, who were presented as witnesses in the pretrial lawsuit against the suspect Tom Lembong.

The head of the AGO's Legal Information Center, Harli Siregar, emphasized that the accusation was a wrong understanding of the legal process and the role of expert opinion in the trial.

"This plagiarism is an error in understanding the function of expert opinion submitted at trial," Harli said in his statement, Tuesday, November 26.

Harli explained that the written opinion submitted by the two experts only functions as a pointer, not written evidence. The opinion was prepared to summarize important points that can assist the efficiency of the trial, in accordance with the judge's direction.

The accusations made by Tom Lembong's attorney focused on the similarity of points in the written opinion. However, Harli emphasized that there was a difference in the number of pages and the subject of the discussion between Prof. Hibnu Nugroho and Taufik Rahman.

Prof. Hibnu Nugroho's opinion consists of five pages with nine main problems, while Taufik Rahman's opinion covers seven pages with 18 topics.

"This difference shows that although there are similarities in several aspects of the law, the substance of the opinion remains different," said Harli.

Furthermore, Harli emphasized that the legal value of the expert's statement lies in direct submission at trial, not in written opinion. The expert opinion submitted at trial to answer questions related to the object of the pretrial lawsuit will be more a reference in the legal process.

The AGO also emphasized its commitment to carrying out its duties with professionalism and prioritizing the principle of justice in every ongoing legal process.

Previously, Tom Lembong's legal team criticized the written opinion submitted by Prof. Hibnu Nugroho and Taufik Rahman, who were considered similar to suspicious of plagiarizing practices. They even reported the two experts on suspicion of committing the crime of false oaths and giving false information in a pretrial hearing.