Jakarta. The Attorney General's Office has pressed charges against seven suspended members of the Overseas Election Committee (PPLN) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for allegedly falsifying data and voter lists for the 2024 elections.

The seven defendants are facing a six-month prison sentence and a fine of Rp 10 million ($635.5). 

The defendants include PPLN Kuala Lumpur Chairman Umar Faruk, Finance Division member Tita Octavia Cahya Rahayu, Data and Information Division member Dicky Saputra, Human Resources Division member Aprijon, Publication Division member Puji Sumarsono, Technical Division member A Khalil, and Logistics Division member Masduki Khamdan Muchamad.

According to the indictment issued on Tuesday, the defendants unlawfully falsified data and voter lists, violating election laws and the Criminal Code.

Prosecutors argue that the defendants, as election organizers, failed to adhere to relevant regulations. Masduki, in particular, is accused of misusing his authority in recruiting overseas voter data update officials in Kuala Lumpur, leading to the creation of fictitious officials that disrupted the voter data matching process.

Masduki is also criticized for his lack of cooperation with investigators. However, the General Election Commission (KPU) nullified the defendants' criminal actions following a recommendation from the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), leading to a rerun of the voting process.

Furthermore, the defendants have been suspended from their roles as chairman or members of the PPLN in Kuala Lumpur. Most defendants, except for Masduki, have been cooperative and did not delay the process. Additionally, the majority of the defendants are doctoral students in Malaysia, with some having family responsibilities.

The incident affected the majority of the approximately 491,000 registered voters in the Malaysian capital, preventing them from casting their votes due to absentee ballots not reaching them.