The saga of fugitive Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) founder Rizieq Shihab, who is currently hiding in Saudi Arabia after Indonesian police officially named the hardliner leader a suspect in a high-profile (and highly ironic) pornography case, continues without any clear end in sight.
The latest update from one of the firebrand cleric’s lawyers, Kapitra Ampera, is that Rizieq will be staying in Saudi Arabia for the foreseeable future.
“Habib Rizieq just sent me a chat, he was able to get a special visa from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. At the time he left, he had the special visa, usable whenever for unlimited days,” Kapitra told Kompas on Sunday night. He said the visa allowed Rizieq to enter and exit Saudi Arabia at will.
This is somewhat at odds with previous statements made by Rizieq’s lawyers who said that the FPI head would be applying to extend his visa after it was set to expire today.
It also is at odds with all of history, according to Agung Sampurno, the head of public relations at Indonesia’s Directorate General of Immigration.
“Never in the history of the world has there been such a lifetime visa, there must be a limit. There is citizenship, but even permanent residents are limited,” Agung said according to Tribunnews, noting that only two types of visas are known to exist – single and multiple-entry.
However, Indonesian immigration officials had previously speculated that Rizieq might have been given a form of special invitational visa by the Saudi government, which is how he was able to enter the country twice within the same one-month period.
Multiple media outlets have said they have attempted to confirm Rizieq’s visa status with the Saudi embassy in Indonesia, but have not received any information.
Police responded to the news simply by saying their investigation into the pornography case would continue as demanded by procedure. In fact, Firza Husein, the woman alleged to have had an adulterous affair with Rizieq according to the leaked “pornographic” documents the criminal case is centered on, answered police summons today (after missing a previous call last week) to answer more questions about the case and, presumably, what she knows about Rizieq’s whereabouts. Police did not reveal any information about today’s questioning.
