Bantul court acquits defendant of charges in DPD support scam

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.