Amsal Sitepu Case: Karo Chief Prosecutor Secured and Faces Potential Sanctions
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has recalled the Chief Prosecutor of Karo District (Kajari Karo), Dante Rajagukguk, along with several prosecutors handling the case of videographer Amsal Sitepu. This step was taken following allegations of ethical violations after Amsal was acquitted by the court.
Previously, Amsal Sitepu was demanded a two-year prison sentence by Karo District Prosecutor’s Office prosecutors in a suspected corruption case involving the production of village profile videos in Karo Regency. However, the panel of judges ruled that Amsal was not guilty and freed him from all charges.
Public attention to the handling of this case has extended to the House of Representatives (DPR). The DPR’s Commission III even held a meeting with the Karo District Prosecutor’s Office officials on Thursday (2/4) to delve into the legal process in the case.
Kajari Karo Recalled
The AGO has confirmed that it has taken over the handling of the alleged ethical violations. The Head of the Legal Information Centre (Kapuspenkum) of the AGO, Anang Supriatna, stated that the Kajari Karo and the prosecutorial team have been summoned to the centre for internal examination.
“Regarding the Kajari Karo, the Head of Special Crimes Section, and the Deputy Section Heads or Public Prosecutors who handled the case, they have currently been recalled to the Attorney General’s Office for clarification and will subsequently be examined internally by the Attorney General’s Office,” said AGO’s Kapuspenkum Anang Supriatna to reporters on Sunday (5/4).
He added that the AGO’s intelligence team has secured the prosecutors for further examination purposes.
“It is true that they have been secured by the Attorney General’s Office intelligence team. Clearly, clarification will be conducted on them to determine whether the case handling was professional or not; we await the results of the clarification,” he stated.
Threat of Sanctions
The AGO also emphasised that sanctions will be imposed if violations are found in the handling of the Amsal Sitepu case. The clarification process is ongoing, prioritising the principle of caution.
“If violations and unprofessionalism are proven, there will be ethical actions from the internal side against them,” said Anang.
“Of course, we need time in this matter, and we continue to prioritise the principle of caution while upholding the presumption of innocence,” he added.
Kajari Karo’s Statements
In the meeting with DPR Commission III, Kajari Karo Dante Rajagukguk explained the basis for detaining Amsal Sitepu. He stated that they used the old Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP) provisions because the detention process occurred in 2025.
“According to us, the basis for detaining Mr Amsal is Article 21 of the old KUHAP, where Amsal was detained from 19 November 2025 to 08 December 2025,” said Dante.
Dante explained that Amsal’s designation as a suspect was based on suspicions of mark-up in the village profile video project. One finding was the discrepancy between the equipment rental duration and the actual field implementation.
“The legal facts obtained in the trial show that the activity was not carried out for up to 30 days, so the expert concluded that the rental payment should match the duration of the activity,” said Dante.
Additionally, he mentioned double budgeting in the video production process.
“Amsal reintroduced budget positions for editing, cutting, and dubbing, each with a budget of Rp 1,000,000, where according to the expert, editing, cutting, and dubbing are the same as video design production, so cutting, editing, and dubbing were considered as losses,” he explained.
In the same forum, Chairman of DPR Commission III Habiburokhman highlighted the slowness of the detention suspension process for Amsal. He emphasised the importance of respecting an individual’s right to freedom.
“Then, it was also explained why it took so long to come to Tanjung Gusta, even though we know, Ma’am, that freedom is a principle. If there’s traffic, don’t take 5 hours; even 5 minutes, if someone has the right to be released from detention, we must carry it out. Please explain, Ma’am, what the obstacle was that caused the delay in coming to Tanjung Gusta?” asked Habib.
In response, Dante cited distance as the main constraint in the process.
“With the leader’s permission, regarding the distance, because the executing prosecutor to the Medan District Court comes from Karo to Medan, which is approximately 2 hours, leader,” answered Dante.