Police nab couple for selling ballot materials
Police nab couple for selling ballot materials
Puji Santoso, Pekanbaru
The General Elections Commission (KPU) is scheduled to announce
the final results of the vote count on July 26 but election
materials have reportedly been sold in several areas.
A man and his wife were arrested for allegedly selling at
least two tons of perforated ballot papers and ballot boxes
illegally in Pekanbaru, Riau province, police here said on
Thursday.
Yono, a 35-year-old trader, and his wife Atik, 27, were caught
by officers of the Bukit Raya police precinct on Wednesday during
a transaction at a used goods shop on Jl. Arengka Atas,
Pekanbaru.
The sold ballot boxes could still be used for the presidential
election runoff scheduled for Sept. 22, according to local police
officers.
"For the time being, we have declared the two persons suspects
in the case," Bukit Raya Police chief Adj. Comr. Andika Vishnu
said.
He said the police were also questioning as a witness the
owner of a Colt Diesel minitruck used to carry the sold election
equipment.
The investigation was aimed at finding out which local
election committee officials were involved in the unlawful sales,
Andika added.
He said the seized ballot papers and boxes were apparently
bought by the suspects from polling stations in Kampar regency
and Pekanbaru.
Atik admitted that her husband had often sold similar election
materials after the April 5 legislative election.
She claimed, however, that she and her husband were not aware
that what they had done so far was against existing regulations.
Atik said she and her husband were ready to get involved in
the sales after unnamed persons convinced them that what they
were doing was lawful.
"Before being arrested, my husband sold as many as 300
kilograms to 500 kg of ballot papers. But I don't know where he
got them from," she said.
Atik said her husband bought ballot papers for Rp 430 per kg
and ballot boxes for Rp 3,000 per kg.
Andika stressed that his office was investigating the matter
intensively to find out if election committee officials in
Pekanbaru and Kampar were involved.
"We cannot tolerate this. The sale of ballot boxes, which are
state assets and could still have been used for the second-round
presidential election, is clearly unlawful. We shall therefore
investigate it thoroughly," he said.
A similar case was also discovered in Jember regency, East
Java, when a man was reportedly arrested for selling at least 200
kilograms of ballot papers.
The KPU decided on Wednesday that perforated ballot papers
could only be disposed of after a new president was sworn in on
Oct. 5.
As for leftover ballot papers, the KPU added, it would order
local elections commissions to sell them but the proceeds had to
go into its coffers.