{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1648737,
        "msgid": "medan-district-court-judge-acquits-amsal-sitepu-1775029859",
        "date": "2026-04-01 14:06:26",
        "title": "Medan District Court Judge Acquits Amsal Sitepu",
        "author": "Fitriyan Zamzami",
        "source": "REPUBLIKA",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Legal",
        "summary": "The Medan Corruption Court panel has acquitted Amsal Christy Sitepu, ruling that the prosecution failed to prove corruption charges related to a village profile video project in North Sumatra's Karo Regency. This verdict contrasts sharply with the prosecutors' demand for a two-year prison sentence, a Rp50 million fine, and restitution of over Rp202 million, highlighting potential weaknesses in the evidence presented against Sitepu. The decision restores Sitepu's rights and reputation, underscoring the judiciary's role in ensuring due process in anti-corruption cases.",
        "content": "<p>The panel of judges at the Corruption Court of the Medan District\nCourt has issued an acquittal verdict for Amsal Christy Sitepu, deeming\nit unproven that he committed corruption in the village profile video\nproduction project in Karo Regency, North Sumatra. \u201cWe pronounce an\nacquittal for Amsal Christy Sitepu as it is not proven that he committed\na criminal act of corruption,\u201d stated Chief Judge Yusafrihardi Girsang\nin Courtroom Cakra Utama at the Medan District Court on Wednesday. The\npanel opined in the verdict\u2019s reasoning that the defendant\u2019s actions\nwere not proven, as per the allegations from the Karo District\nProsecutor\u2019s Office public prosecutors (JPU), both primary and\nsubsidiary charges. \u201cWe restore the defendant\u2019s rights and rehabilitate\nthe honour, dignity, and good name of the defendant Amsal Sitepu,\u201d said\nYusafrihardi. This verdict differs from the demand by JPU Wira Arizona,\nwho previously sought a two-year prison sentence for the defendant\nAmsal. \u201cWe request that the panel of judges impose a prison sentence of\ntwo years on the defendant Amsal Christy Sitepu,\u201d stated JPU Wira\nArizona during the previous hearing when reading the indictment. In\naddition to the corporal punishment, the JPU from the Karo District\nProsecutor\u2019s Office also demanded that the defendant Amsal Sitepu pay a\nfine of Rp50 million, with the provision that if not paid, it would be\nreplaced with three months\u2019 imprisonment. \u201cThe defendant is also\ndemanded to pay restitution of Rp202,161,980. If not paid within one\nmonth after the verdict gains legal force, the defendant\u2019s assets will\nbe seized and auctioned to cover the state\u2019s losses,\u201d said Wira. If\ninsufficient, he continued, it would be replaced with one year\u2019s\nimprisonment. Aggravating factors for the defendant\u2019s actions include\nnot admitting the deed, being evasive during the trial, and not yet\nreturning the state\u2019s financial losses. \u201cMeanwhile, the mitigating\nfactor is that the defendant has never been punished,\u201d he said. The JPU\nfrom the Karo District Prosecutor\u2019s Office assessed that the defendant\u2019s\nactions violated Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law No.\u00a031\nof 1999 on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended by\nLaw No.\u00a020 of 2001. \u201cThe defendant\u2019s actions are believed to have been\nproven to constitute the criminal act of corruption as per the\nsubsidiary allegation,\u201d said Wira.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/medan-district-court-judge-acquits-amsal-sitepu-1775029859",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}