Bantul court acquits defendant of charges in DPD support scam

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

The Bantul District Court acquitted on Friday Juventius Untung Sudarmo, who had been charged with forging documents in his run for the Yogyakarta Regional Representative Council (DPD).

The defendant had been accused of forging 15 identity cards of local residents to support his candidacy for the DPD.

Presiding judge Mahmud Fauzi, in acquitting the defendant, said Juventius was unaware that the documents supporting his candidacy were being manipulated.

Mahmud said the manipulation was committed by one of Juventius' campaign team officials, whom he identified as Agus Suhartono. It is not clear whether Agus will also be prosecuted.

"The forgeries were found in the nomination support documents. But it was done by someone else, not the defendant," said Mahmud, flanked by judges Sutedja and Andreas Purwantio.

Document manipulation has become commonplace among DPD candidates nationwide. The usual practice is for candidates to attach to their candidacy documents photocopies of ID cards of local residents without the permission of the residents.

The candidates pay photocopy shops for photocopied ID cards of customers. The candidates use these ID cards to complete their candidacy documents.

According to election laws, candidates for the DPD are required to include with their candidacy documents photocopied ID cards of supporters as proof of their public support.

Prosecutor Kamari had said the defendant was responsible for the manipulation of candidacy documents, arguing that he had signed the documents before filing them with the General Elections Commission.

The prosecutor was seeking a 15-month prison sentence for the defendant.