Garut Bawaslu Will Call Experts To Discuss Crimes In The Satpol PP Election Make Content Support Gibran

Head of Garut Regency Bawaslu Ahmad Nurul Syahid. (ANTARA/Feri Purnama)

GARUT - The General Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) of Garut Regency, West Java needs expert witnesses from the Kemenpan-RB to discuss criminal violations of the 2024 General Election (Pemilu) against members of the Garut Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP) who express support to vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

"It's still in process, we are asking for expert information, the plan for expert witnesses from Menpan-RB," said Head of the Garut Regency Bawaslu Ahmad Nurul Syahid as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, January 17.

Garut Bawaslu has conducted a search related to the case of the distribution of videos of Garut Satpol PP members who expressed support for the vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

Garut Bawaslu has also examined 14 members of the Garut Satpol PP consisting of 13 people in the video, and one person who recorded the joint statement of support for one of the vice presidential candidates.

Ahmad conveyed that the Garut Bawaslu then sent a letter of application to the Kemenpan-RB to present an expert witness in order to ask for information related to the Garut Satpol PP case.

"But we are still waiting for information on willingness from the Menpan RB, but a letter of request for experts has been sent," he said.

He explained the reason for asking for expert witness testimony was because there were several things needed, one of which was understanding the employment status of Garut Satpol PP members who were contract employees and volunteers.

Garut Bawaslu even though they have examined 14 members of the Garut Satpol PP, they have not been able to conclude the results, but for the suspicion there are still two articles of alleged election crime.

"We can't conclude yet. Still (the two articles are suspected)," he said.

Based on the previous discussion, Bawaslu Garut suspected the perpetrators of making the video with two articles, namely Article 280 (3) in conjunction with Article 494 and Article 283 of Law 7/2017 concerning Elections with the threat of imprisonment of 1 year and a fine of IDR 12 million.

Previously, a 19-second video showing a number of members of the Garut Satpol PP declared themselves to be supportive of the vice president Gibran spread across a number of social media and WhatsApp Groups of the Garut community.