TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Ex-graft convict gets second chance in DPD race after revote ruling
The Constitutional Court ruled that the West Sumatra office of the General Elections Commission (KPU) ignored a previous court ruling, violating former DPD speaker Irman Gusman's rights to run in the 2024 legislative election.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Former Regional Representatives Council (DPD) speaker Irman Gusman talks to reporters after hearing the judge's verdict against him at the Jakarta Corruption Court in Jakarta on Feb. 20, 2017. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
A former corruption convict is getting a second chance to run for a seat in the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) thanks to a Constitutional Court ruling on Monday ordering a revote in the legislative election in West Sumatra.
On Monday, the Constitutional Court ruled in favor of former DPD speaker Irman Gusman in his petition against the West Sumatra office of the General Elections Commission (KPU), which rejected his application to run in February’s race and revoking his name from the final candidate list (DCT).
Among the justices’ arguments for ordering a revote was because the West Sumatra KPU had ignored a court ruling that allowed Irman’s participation in the 2024 election.
“The disobedience with regard to the court ruling created uncertainty, postponed justice and undermined the judicial institution’s authority,” Suhartoyo said while reading the ruling in a hearing on Monday.
The Jakarta Corruption Court convicted Irman in 2017 to a 4.5-year prison sentence for accepting a bribe in exchange for securing an additional sugar import quota for a businessman. He was freed from prison in 2019 after the Supreme Court reduced his sentence to three years.
When finalizing the DCT in September last year, the West Sumatra KPU incorrectly excluded Irman at the time because he had yet to clear a five-year waiting period required for some graft convicts to run for office.
Read also: Ex-graft convicts on ballots for 2024 legislative race
