The Respondent's legal counsel Josua Victor at the examination hearing for the 2024 Sabu Raijua regent election case No. 300/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 to hear the Respondent, the Relevant Party, and Bawaslu, Thursday (1/23/2025). Photo by MKRI/Bayu

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — As the Respondent, the Sabu Raijua Elections Commission (KPU) delivered its response to the petition filed by X on the Sabu Raijua regent election results dispute in the examination hearing to hear the Respondent’s response and statements by the Relevant Party and Bawaslu (Elections Supervisory Body) and to validate evidence of the Parties. The hearing for Case No. 300/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 was presided over by Constitutional Justices Arief Hidayat (panel chair), Anwar Usman, and Enny Nurbaningsih on panel 3 on Thursday, January 23, 2025.

On behalf of the Sabu Raijua KPU as Respondent, legal counsel Josua Victor said that Candidate Pair 2 Krisman Bernard Riwu Kore-Thobias Uly (Relevant Party) had fulfilled all of the requirements for their participation in the regent election. While the Petitioners questioned the presence of the non-bankruptcy certificate of Regent Candidate Krisman Bernard Riwu Kore, the KPU confirmed to have received the document.

Josua explained that after the voting, the Respondent received a complaint from the Petitioners, alleging the forgery of Krisman's certificate. A rumor circulated among the people in the regency that the certificate was a screen capture that had been feigned to be real. Nevertheless, the Respondent followed up the screen capture by clarifying to the Chief Judge of the Surabaya District Court which issued the certificate.

"The Non-Bankruptcy Certificate No. 778/SK/HK/08/2024/PNSby under the name Krisman Bernard Riwu Kore is truly issued by the Surabaya District Court on August 16, 2024 and eligible in fulfillment of the registration requirements of a 2024 Sabu Raijua regent candidate," Josua explained.

Krisman Bernard Riwu Kore himself as a Relevant Party came to the hearing to explain that he had been issued a non-certificate bankruptcy by the Surabaya District Court on August 12, 2024. "Moreover, the Surabaya District Court on January 3 [2024] has re-emphasized that the certificate is legitimate," Krisman asserted.

The Chairperson of the Sabu Raijua Bawaslu Markus Haba stated that the institution didn't receive any report on the lack of the certificate. In their supervision role during the administrative requirements examination, the Bawaslu found the regent candidate in question to have fulfilled such a certificate.

Also read: Two Candidates Challenge Krisman's Non-Bankruptcy Certificate in Sabu Raijua District Election

In the preliminary hearing, Candidate Pair 1 Simon Petrus Dira Tome-Dominikus Dadi Lado and Candidate Pair 3 Yohanis Uly Kale-Leonidas V.C. Adoe (Petitioners) had questioned the certificate of non-bankruptcy of Candidate Pair 2 Krisman Bernard Riwu Kore-Thobias Uly. They scrutinized the allegation that Krisman Bernard Riwu Kore was not registered as a party who filed a non-bankruptcy certificate to the Surabaya District Court or Commercial Court, even though the letter is seen as decisive evidence which has serious implications for fulfilling the nomination requirements.

The absence of the certificate should make Krisman Bernard Riwu Kore ineligible (TMS) as a candidate for the regent of Sabu Raijua Regency. As referred to in Article 7 paragraph (2) letter I of Law Number 10/2016 on the Second Amendment to Law Number 1/2015 on the Stipulation of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law Number 1/2015 on the Election of Governors, Regents, and Mayors (Regional Elections Law).

In their petitums, the Petitioners asked the Court to annul the Decree of the KPU of Sabu Raijua Regency No. 599 of 2024 on the certification of the 2024 election results dated December  2, 2024. In addition, the Petitioners asked the Court to declare the disqualification of Krisman Bernard Riwu Kore-Thobias Uly from participating in the Sabu Raijua regent election

Author : Nawir Arsyad Akbar

Editor : Lulu Anjarsari P.

PR : Tiara Agustina

Translator : M. Hafidh Al Mukmin/FS

Disclaimer: The original version of the news is in Indonesian. In case of any differences between the English and the Indonesian versions, the Indonesian version will prevail.

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