Medan District Court Judge Acquits Amsal Sitepu

The panel of judges at the Corruption Court of the Medan District Court has issued an acquittal verdict for Amsal Christy Sitepu, deeming it unproven that he committed corruption in the village profile video production project in Karo Regency, North Sumatra. “We pronounce an acquittal for Amsal Christy Sitepu as it is not proven that he committed a criminal act of corruption,” stated Chief Judge Yusafrihardi Girsang in Courtroom Cakra Utama at the Medan District Court on Wednesday. The panel opined in the verdict’s reasoning that the defendant’s actions were not proven, as per the allegations from the Karo District Prosecutor’s Office public prosecutors (JPU), both primary and subsidiary charges. “We restore the defendant’s rights and rehabilitate the honour, dignity, and good name of the defendant Amsal Sitepu,” said Yusafrihardi. This verdict differs from the demand by JPU Wira Arizona, who previously sought a two-year prison sentence for the defendant Amsal. “We request that the panel of judges impose a prison sentence of two years on the defendant Amsal Christy Sitepu,” stated JPU Wira Arizona during the previous hearing when reading the indictment. In addition to the corporal punishment, the JPU from the Karo District Prosecutor’s Office also demanded that the defendant Amsal Sitepu pay a fine of Rp50 million, with the provision that if not paid, it would be replaced with three months’ imprisonment. “The defendant is also demanded to pay restitution of Rp202,161,980. If not paid within one month after the verdict gains legal force, the defendant’s assets will be seized and auctioned to cover the state’s losses,” said Wira. If insufficient, he continued, it would be replaced with one year’s imprisonment. Aggravating factors for the defendant’s actions include not admitting the deed, being evasive during the trial, and not yet returning the state’s financial losses. “Meanwhile, the mitigating factor is that the defendant has never been punished,” he said. The JPU from the Karo District Prosecutor’s Office assessed that the defendant’s actions violated Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law No. 31 of 1999 on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended by Law No. 20 of 2001. “The defendant’s actions are believed to have been proven to constitute the criminal act of corruption as per the subsidiary allegation,” said Wira.