Bantul court acquits defendant of charges in DPD support scam<\/p>\n
Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
The Bantul District Court acquitted on Friday Juventius Untung
\nSudarmo, who had been charged with forging documents in his run
\nfor the Yogyakarta Regional Representative Council (DPD).<\/p>\n
The defendant had been accused of forging 15 identity cards of
\nlocal residents to support his candidacy for the DPD.<\/p>\n
Presiding judge Mahmud Fauzi, in acquitting the defendant,
\nsaid Juventius was unaware that the documents supporting his
\ncandidacy were being manipulated.<\/p>\n
Mahmud said the manipulation was committed by one of
\nJuventius' campaign team officials, whom he identified as Agus
\nSuhartono. It is not clear whether Agus will also be prosecuted.<\/p>\n
"The forgeries were found in the nomination support documents.
\nBut it was done by someone else, not the defendant," said Mahmud,
\nflanked by judges Sutedja and Andreas Purwantio.<\/p>\n
Document manipulation has become commonplace among DPD
\ncandidates nationwide. The usual practice is for candidates to
\nattach to their candidacy documents photocopies of ID cards of
\nlocal residents without the permission of the residents.<\/p>\n
The candidates pay photocopy shops for photocopied ID cards of
\ncustomers. The candidates use these ID cards to complete their
\ncandidacy documents.<\/p>\n
According to election laws, candidates for the DPD are
\nrequired to include with their candidacy documents photocopied ID
\ncards of supporters as proof of their public support.<\/p>\n
Prosecutor Kamari had said the defendant was responsible for
\nthe manipulation of candidacy documents, arguing that he had
\nsigned the documents before filing them with the General
\nElections Commission.<\/p>\n
The prosecutor was seeking a 15-month prison sentence for the
\ndefendant.<\/p>",
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