MUI Respects Decision to Stop Police Investigation of Rizieq Case

Jakarta, MINA — Deputy chairman of the influential Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Zainut Tauhid Saadi asks all Muslims to respect the police`s decision to stop investigation of legal cases against Habib Rizieq Shihab, leader of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI),Antara News reported.

Last year, Habib Rizeq was in center of scandal of extramarital affairs with police charging him with violating the country`s pornography laws.

He fled to Saudi Arabia to escape arrest, but with the police`s decision of stopping investigations (SP3), he is now free to return home to Indonesia.

“Respect the legal process and leave everything to the institution having the authority to handle the case,” Zainut said here on Monday.

He said police investigators have the authority to stop investigation of a criminal case, adding “it is normal and has often happened.”

“MUI respects the decision. Although we have not precisely known the reason for the closing the case, we believe police have strong reasons for that,” he said.

A law has a regulation allowing SP3 if it turned out to be not a criminal case but only a civil case, or if police have no evidence or not enough evidence to back up the charge, he said.

A case could also be dropped with SP3 for public interest. In that case SP3 could be issued only by the Attorney General on consideration that bringing the case to court could be against the public interest.

Zainut Tauhid Saadi called on all people to restrain from blowing up the issue and spreading unfounded issues that could trigger unnecessary public uproar. (AS)

Rizieq, chairman of the influential hard-line Muslim organization, has denied the charges against him, saying he was framed by the government.

FPI played a big role in a huge rally to prosecute former Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian and an ally of President Joko Widodo on blasphemy charges. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)