BIN denies giving intelligence data to Ahok

JAKARTA. The State Intelligence Agency (BIN) asserted on Thursday that it did not provide information on a phone conversation between former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chairman Ma’ruf Amin to the legal team of Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama.  

Previously, the Jakarta governor claimed in court that he had evidence that proved Yudhoyono had called Ma’ruf and asked him to issue a fatwa stating that Ahok had committed blasphemy. The fatwa was instrumental in pushing the police to charge Ahok with blasphemy for his statement about a Quranic verse.

“The information is the sole responsibility of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama and his lawyers,” BIN official Sundawan said in a statement. Ahok, he added, had claimed he had obtained the information from an online article.   

Yudhoyono, who admitted that he did phone Ma'ruf but denied having a conversation about the fatwa, accused the government of illegal wiretapping.

The spy body stressed that it only conduct wiretapping in the interest of national security and that it was always carried out according to prevailing laws and human rights principles.

It added that the results of wiretapping would not be disclosed, let alone be given to outside parties. “Through this official clarification […] BIN asserts that the information did not come from BIN,” Sundawan said.