Amsal Sitepu Claims to Have Received Threats: 'Shut Down the Content, Someone Is Disturbed'
Videographer Amsal Sitepu has revealed testimony regarding alleged intimidation he received from prosecutors in the suspected corruption case concerning the production of a series of village profile videos in Karo Regency, North Sumatra.
Amsal is the defendant in the case. He delivered this testimony on intimidation during a virtual appearance at an audience meeting in Commission III of the House of Representatives on Monday (30/3).
“I must inform the leadership. In the legal process I am currently undergoing, I have experienced intimidation directly from the prosecutor,” Amsal said, choking up during the meeting.
He recounted that the alleged intimidation came via a box of brownies given to him by the prosecutor at Tanjung Gusta Detention Centre in Medan. When handing over the brownies, Amsal said, the prosecutor asked him to follow the entire trial process and not cause any commotion.
“He spoke directly to me here in the detention centre, ‘just follow the flow. Don’t make a fuss. Shut down those contents. Someone is disturbed’,” Amsal stated.
However, he rejected the intimidation and affirmed that he would continue to fight. Amsal insisted that he is a victim of criminalisation for an act he never committed.
“I said, no, I will still fight. Even though I know many people say you will be buried. If you fight, you will be buried. But I said, I’m not afraid. Because I’m not guilty,” Amsal declared.
He admitted that the alleged intimidation had also been mentioned in his plea. Amsal emphasised that the law must be upheld to prevent similar cases from happening to other creative workers.
“I also raised that in my plea, the intimidation through the giving of chocolate brownies. I think the law in this world must be enforced, especially for us creative economy workers,” he said.
Amsal was demanded a two-year prison sentence on 20 February. In the prosecutor’s indictment, Amsal was deemed to have committed a markup or inflation of funds after setting a budget of Rp30 million for the village profile series. Those funds came from the village budget.
However, according to the prosecutor, that amount did not match the planned budget cost (RAB).
Amsal’s project was deemed to violate Minister of Home Affairs Regulation Number 20 of 2018 on Village Financial Management, Article 2 Paragraph (1), which states that village finances must be managed based on the principles of transparency, accountability, participation, and carried out in an orderly and disciplined budgetary manner.
A recent audit result indicated state financial losses from the alleged calculation of state financial losses amounting to Rp202,161,980.
The case is currently still in the trial process and will continue with the verdict agenda scheduled for 1 April 2026.