Karo Chief Prosecutor Apologises, Admits to Mistake in Amsal Sitepu Case

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Head of the Karo District Prosecutor’s Office (Kajari), Danke Rajagukguk, has expressed apologies for the mistakes made by the prosecutor’s office in the case of alleged mark-up in the village profile video production project that ensnared videographer Amsal Sitepu. Danke admitted to being wrong and mistaken in imprisoning Amsal Sitepu, who is a creative worker. “We apologise for all our mistakes and lapses,” Danke said during a meeting with Commission III of the DPR, Amsal Sitepu, the North Sumatra Senior Prosecutor, and Komjak at the DPR Building in Senayan, Jakarta, on Thursday (2/4/2026). “Thank you, Mr Chairman, I, the Kajari of Karo, would like to express my deepest gratitude for the input and criticism provided by the members of Commission III so that we can improve and implement it as conveyed by all of you,” he added. The Medan District Court panel of judges issued an acquittal verdict for the defendant in the alleged corruption case of village profile video production in Karo Regency, Amsal Christy Sitepu, on Wednesday, 1 April 2026. Presiding Judge Mohammad Yusafrihardi Girsang stated that Amsal Sitepu was not proven guilty by law and convincing evidence of committing the criminal act as charged in the primary and subsidiary indictments. The case began with the village profile video production project in Karo Regency, which led to legal proceedings. During the 2020 to 2022 budget period, Amsal offered video production services to several village governments in Karo Regency. Through his company, CV Promiseland, he submitted proposals to 20 villages in four sub-districts, namely Tiganderket, Tigabinanga, Tigapanah, and Namanteran. In the proposals, the cost of video production was set at around Rp 30 million per village. The legal issue arose when the proposals were allegedly not in accordance with the actual conditions or experienced mark-up. From the analysis by the Karo Regency Inspectorate auditors, the video production cost was assessed to be around Rp 24.1 million per village. This difference in value became the basis for the alleged state loss.