Amsal Sitepu Says Judge Was Perplexed at His Imprisonment Over Payment of Rp 30 Million as Per Proposal

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Videographer Amsal Sitepu revealed the moment when the judge handling his case was confused as to why he could be imprisoned in the village profile video production project case in Karo Regency, North Sumatra. This is because Amsal was paid in accordance with the agreement in the proposal, namely Rp 30 million per village. Amsal conveyed this during a meeting with DPR Commission III via Zoom on Monday (30/3/2026). “The chief judge at that time during the trial asked, ‘Why can he be imprisoned?’ The judge asked the village head, they didn’t know. ‘Is there a proposal he offered?’ The village head replied yes. ‘What is the value of the proposal he offered?’ Rp 30 million, said the village head. ‘How much did you pay?’ Rp 30 million. And the judge asked, ‘Then why can he be imprisoned?’ The village head replied, ‘I don’t know, Your Honour’,” said Amsal. This is because at that time, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Amsal and his colleagues lost their jobs due to the lockdown. Amsal stated that the village profile video production project was solely to make ends meet. Moreover, the challenges of making videos in the villages in Karo were considerable. Amsal’s drone was even struck by an eagle and fell while filming. Next, Amsal recounted that when he submitted proposals to several village heads in Karo, some village heads rejected it, but others approved Amsal’s offer. “And then we carried it out with professional equipment and professional expertise. All of us are professional videographers working on this,” said Amsal. The alleged corruption case ensnaring the videographer from North Sumatra, Amsal Christy Sitepu, has become the focus of public attention. This matter stemmed from the village profile video production project in Karo Regency which then led to legal proceedings. Amsal, who serves as Director of CV Promiseland, is now being demanded two years in prison.