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.