North Sumatra KPU Waits For Deactivation Of Padangsidimpuan KPU Members Suspects Of Extortion Of Legislative Candidates

The Office of the General Election Commission of North Sumatra Province (ANTARA/HO)

The General Election Commission (KPU) of North Sumatra province is still waiting for the central KPU's decision regarding the process of deactivation of Padangsidimpuan (PH) KPU members who were caught in a hand arrest operation (OTT) by the North Sumatra Police Pungli Saber Team.

North Sumatra KPU chairman Agus Arifin said his party had sent a letter determining the suspect as a member of the Padangsidimpuan KPU to the Indonesian KPU and is currently still waiting for the process of deactivating the members.

"We have just issued the suspect status, we have sent it to the Indonesian KPU, it is being processed, later the institutional process will be followed up at the KPU," said Agus Arifin as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, February 2.

Agus explained that based on Article 13 of Law 7 of 2017 concerning General Elections. The Indonesian KPU has the authority to appoint, foster, and dismiss provincial kpu members, district/city kpu members, and Ppln members.

"After sending the letter, we are waiting for the process of deactivating the person from the Indonesian KPU. Because the authority to deactivate it is at the Indonesian KPU. Not at the North Sumatra KPU," he said.

Currently, he said, all Padangsidimpuan KPU activities will be carried out by four commissioners plus one head of the secretariat.

"We make sure that the entanglement of these individuals will not interfere with the process of the 2024 election stage. Including voting day on February 14, 2024, later," he said.

Previously, the North Sumatra Police named a suspect with the initials PH, a member of the Padangsidimpuan City KPU Commissioner, in the alleged extortion case against one of the city's legislative candidates.

"The North Sumatra Police have named PH as a suspect in the alleged extortion of a legislative candidate with the initials D in the city," said Head of Public Relations of the North Sumatra Police, Kombes Hadi Wahyudi.

Hadi continued that PH was named a suspect by the North Sumatra Police on January 28, 2024, currently carrying out further detention and investigation processes.

"The suspect's modus operandi initially asked the victim for Rp50 million for 1,000 votes, but the victim was only able to pay Rp26 million," said Hadi.