The head of House Commission III, Habiburokhman, has summoned the Karo District Attorney’s Office (Kejari Karo) and its public prosecutors (JPU) for questioning tomorrow, Thursday (April 2). This parliamentary summons comes amidst Habiburokhman’s expressed concerns over alleged resistance from law enforcement officials following the acquittal of videographer Amsal Sitepu.
“This situation has become a concerning phenomenon,” stated Habiburokhman during a press conference at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday (April 1). “We perceive resistance, possibly from corrupt law enforcement officers who are uncomfortable with our efforts to hear the people’s aspirations and conduct public hearings. Today, a group of people held a demonstration there.” Habiburokhman further suggested that the demonstration might have been orchestrated by law enforcement agencies, and he is currently investigating this serious allegation.
“I cannot confirm whether it was orchestrated by the Karo District Attorney’s Office, but we will certainly investigate,” he asserted. “Furthermore, the local Prosecutor’s Office, specifically Kejari Karo, has put forth a misleading narrative, particularly concerning the suspension of detention.” He elaborated that the suspension of Amsal Sitepu’s detention was a formal request from Commission III, which had already been granted by the judge, meaning it should have been executed immediately.
“The detention suspension was a request from Commission III, a request granted by the judge. This court order was accepted by the court,” he explained. “Therefore, once granted, Amsal should not have returned to prison. He should have been released immediately at that moment.” However, the implementation of this judicial order reportedly faced undue delays due to administrative holdups on the part of the prosecution.
“Our colleague, Mr. Hinca Panjaitan, had to wait for several hours for a prosecutor from the Karo District Attorney’s Office to arrive and sign the necessary documents,” Habiburokhman asserted. “They then spread propaganda, attempting to portray us as having violated procedures, when in fact, it was they who significantly overstepped procedural boundaries.” Stemming from these serious allegations of prosecutorial misconduct, Commission III plans to summon the entire ranks of the Karo District Attorney’s Office to demand explanations and conduct a thorough evaluation of their conduct.
“Substantively, we will summon the Karo District Attorney’s Office and its public prosecutors tomorrow,” he stated. “Additionally, we will invite the Prosecutor’s Commission to conduct an evaluation of such practices.” Habiburokhman expressed profound disappointment with the attitude of the Karo District Attorney’s Office, which he believes stands in stark contrast to the leadership of the Attorney General’s Office (Kejaksaan Agung) that has consistently been responsive to parliamentary input.
“We are profoundly disappointed with the Karo District Attorney’s Office, whose stance is 180 degrees opposite to that of the top leadership of the Attorney General’s Office – the Attorney General, the Junior Attorney General for General Crimes, the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes, the Junior Attorney General for Supervision, and the Junior Attorney General for Intelligence,” Habiburokhman conveyed. “All of them have always given very positive responses to input from the DPR, which is based on the aspirations of the people.”
He cited other cases handled at the Attorney General’s Office level as examples of greater openness to public aspirations. “We recall the case of the teacher in Jambi, where we merely communicated via telephone, and the investigation was halted by the Junior Attorney General for General Crimes. This is remarkable at the Attorney General’s Office level; their leaders are truly reformist individuals, open to public criticism conveyed through Commission III,” Habiburokhman elaborated. “However, at the lower echelons, we need to see what kind of evaluation will be conducted, especially regarding the Karo District Attorney’s Office. We are extremely disappointed,” he added emphatically.
Habiburokhman reiterated that his commission stands ready to account for the steps taken in overseeing the Amsal Sitepu case. “We are prepared to take full responsibility for our actions over the past few days concerning Amsal Sitepu. We are ready,” Habiburokhman affirmed. “That is why we will summon them and hear their reasons.” He further declared, “If indeed they are behind this propaganda, manipulating statements to suggest that public aspirations are misguided, and implying that we are intervening, we will ascertain the full truth here tomorrow.”
Earlier, Amsal Sitepu, who had been accused of budget markups for the creation of 20 village profile videos, was acquitted by the panel of judges at the Medan District Court on Wednesday (April 1). “The court declares that defendant Amsal Christy Sitepu is not legally and convincingly proven to have committed the criminal act,” announced Chief Judge M. Yusafrihardi Girsang at the Medan District Court on Wednesday (April 1). Amsal prostrated in gratitude following the conclusion of the trial.
Summary
Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI