Candidates Offer Umrah Prize Sentenced To 3 Months In Prison In Kudus Court

The atmosphere of the trial at the Kudus District Court in the election criminal case. (ANTARA)

Chairman of the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) of Kudus Regency, Central Java, Moh Wahibul Minan, said that candidates for legislative members (Caleg) from political parties participating in the 2024 General Election offered Umrah prizes and motorized vehicles for voters who supported them, were finally sentenced to 3 months in prison.

"This decision is expected to be a lesson for all parties, so that later there will be no more election criminal cases in Kudus Regency either due to the lack of understanding of election participants or because of other things," he said, quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, April.

He revealed that the election criminal case was the first case during the implementation of the 2024 General Election in Kudus Regency.

In a trial held by the Kudus District Court on Monday (1/4) afternoon, a candidate for member of the Regency/City DPRD from the Democratic Party of the Dua Kudus electoral district, Mualim in a case of alleged election crime was finally sentenced to 3 months in prison.

The defendant was proven to have violated Article 523 paragraph (1) junto Article 280 paragraph (1) letter j of Law 7 of 2017 concerning Elections, which promised goods and or other materials through material media and campaign props during the 2024 election campaign.

In its decision, the Panel of Judges chaired by the Chairman of the Kudus District Court, Wiyanto, when reading the verdict in the verdict at the Kudus District Court, sentenced the defendant Mualim to three months in prison with a six-month probationary period and to pay a fine of Rp. 10 million on the condition that if the fine is not paid, it is replaced with a one-month imprisonment.

The sentence of three months in prison is lighter than the demands of the Public Prosecutor (JPU) for six months in prison.

After reading the verdict, the Panel of Judges gave the defendant the opportunity to appeal.

Before the case was processed, Bawaslu Kudus had tried to ask the person concerned to release the billboards and stop the campaign that violated the rules, but had not yet been fulfilled. Finally, the case of election violation was continued to the clarification stage.

In clarifying the legislative candidate, the person concerned is related to efforts to attract support by providing Umrah coupons, cars, motorbikes, and food packages.

In fact, the person concerned also promoted it through billboards installed at a number of points in Padurenan Village, Gebog District, Kudus.