Medan Court Grants Judicial Forgiveness to Two Defendants in Subsidized Pertalite Purchase Case

MEDAN | INDATANEWS.COM - A panel of judges at the Medan District Court has granted judicial forgiveness to two defendants involved in a case concerning the purchase of 20 liters of subsidized Pertalite fuel using jerry cans at the Simpang Pos Medan gas station. The verdict was delivered on Thursday afternoon, July 9, 2026, in Courtroom Cakra 6 of the Medan District Court.

The two defendants are Aziz Apandi Silalahi, an employee or trainee working as a fuel attendant at the Simpang Pos Medan gas station, and Ranning Alamer Mulsim Cibro, who acted as the buyer of the subsidized fuel.

Judges Acknowledge Criminal Act but Grant Forgiveness

During the reading of the verdict, the panel of judges led by Judge Efrata Happy Tarigan stated that both defendants were proven to have committed a criminal offense as charged under the prosecutor's first alternative indictment. However, the court decided to grant judicial forgiveness, meaning no criminal punishment would be imposed on either defendant.

"The court has decided that the defendants are proven to have committed a criminal offense as stipulated in the first alternative indictment of the public prosecutor. However, they are granted judicial forgiveness under Article 54 Paragraph (2) of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code (KUHP), so no sentence is imposed," Efrata said.

The panel of judges found that the actions of the two defendants violated the government's program regarding the regulation and distribution of subsidized fuel. The court also considered that the offense occurred during a period when the public was facing fuel shortages.

In its legal considerations, the court noted several aggravating factors against the defendants. One of them was that the purchase and subsequent resale of subsidized fuel did not comply with the distribution regulations established by the government.

"The mitigating factors are that the defendants have no previous criminal records, admitted their actions openly, behaved respectfully throughout the trial, promised not to repeat the offense, and are still young," Efrata explained while reading the court's considerations.

Verdict Based on Oil and Gas Regulation Violations

The panel of judges issued the decision based on the prosecutor's first alternative indictment, namely Article 55 of Law Number 22 of 2001 concerning Oil and Gas, as amended by Law Number 6 of 2023, in conjunction with Article 20 letter c of the Criminal Code and Law Number 1 of 2026 concerning adjustments to criminal provisions.

During the proceedings, the court also rejected the defense memorandum or plea submitted by the defendants' legal counsel. Previously, the defense had requested that both defendants be acquitted of all charges or released from the prosecutor's criminal allegations.

The court considered that although the defendants' actions fulfilled the elements of a criminal offense, several circumstances justified the application of judicial forgiveness in accordance with applicable legal provisions.

Sentence Lighter Than Prosecutor's Demand

The panel's decision was significantly lighter than the demand submitted by the Medan Public Prosecutor's Office, which previously requested a prison sentence of five months and five days for each defendant.

The prosecution argued that the actions of both defendants fulfilled the elements of a criminal offense under the first alternative indictment. However, the court considered several factors before granting judicial forgiveness based on existing legal provisions.

Following the verdict announcement, both defendants and the Medan Public Prosecutor's Office stated that they were still considering further legal steps. Both parties were given seven days to decide whether to accept the ruling or file an appeal.

Arrest at Simpang Pos Medan Gas Station

The case began when Ranning Alamer Mulsim Cibro and Aziz Apandi Silalahi were arrested by officers from Polrestabes Medan during a transaction involving the purchase and sale of subsidized Pertalite fuel at a gas station located on Jalan Jamin Ginting, Simpang Pos Medan area.

The officers arrested both individuals on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at approximately 12:40 p.m. local time. At the time of the arrest, police found a transaction involving the purchase of 20 liters of subsidized Pertalite fuel stored in jerry cans.

The case was subsequently brought before the Medan District Court until the panel of judges delivered its ruling and granted judicial forgiveness to both defendants, despite determining that their actions constituted a criminal offense as charged by the prosecution. (IDNC)

REPORTER: Teguh Panjaitan | EDITOR: Fik Sagala

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