Lawyers warned against back-room deals<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Supreme Court Chief Justice Bagir Manan urged lawyers on Tuesday
\nto abandon back-room deals with judges to win their clients'
\ncases, for the sake of a clean judiciary.<\/p>\n
\"I certainly hope lawyers can win cases because of their
\nskills in legal affairs and because of their respect for their
\nprofession,\" Bagir said in his address to members of the
\nIndonesian Advocate Working Committee (KKAI), which oversees all
\neight bar associations in the country.<\/p>\n
He made little mention of those who might receive the bribes
\n-- the court judges -- the other part of the corruption equation.<\/p>\n
The event was attended by several well-paid, high-profile
\nlawyers, including Hotman Paris Hutapea, O.C. Kaligis and Deny
\nKailimang.<\/p>\n
Bagir reminded the group approaching judges for the benefit of
\ntheir clients violated a lawyers' code of ethics.<\/p>\n
The Supreme Court has circulated a notification that bans
\nlawyers from privately meeting judges in the Supreme Court or the
\nlower courts.<\/p>\n
\"But of course O.C. (Kaligas) can still come here if he wants
\nto bring me some books,\" Bagir said in jest. Kaligis has
\nrepresented several high-profile businessmen and officials
\nimplicated in corruption.<\/p>\n
Corruption watchdogs have long accused lawyers of taking part
\nin the country's notorious court \"mafia\", where litigants and
\ndefendants often give money or gifts to judges through lawyers to
\nsecure a verdict.<\/p>\n
In 2001, former attorney general Baharuddin Lopa said from his
\nexperience many lawyers in Indonesia had forwarded bribes from
\ntheir clients to prosecutors and judges to win cases.<\/p>\n
Last year, a lawyer made a public confession he had given a
\ncellphone to a judge at the South Jakarta District Court, in
\nexchange for the judge's verdict in favor of his client.<\/p>\n
The lawyer leaked the back-room deal after the judge failed to
\nfulfill his promise.<\/p>\n
Many have also questioned the commercial court's decision to
\ndeclare international insurance company Manulife bankrupt last
\nyear.<\/p>\n
In his speech, Bagir warned all law enforcers, and lawyers,
\nagainst abuses of power as corruption would \"further weaken
\npeople's faith in the justice system\". He did not mention
\npunishments for corrupt judges.<\/p>\n
He also criticized lawyers for opting to reside and operate in
\nmajor cities.<\/p>\n
Lawyers were often interested in big money, high-profile
\ncases, involving corruption or embezzlement, which involved
\ntrillions of rupiah. They were not so interested in helping
\njustice seekers from poorer rural areas, Bagir said.<\/p>\n
This practice helped create the wrong image -- that justice
\n\"exclusively belongs to the rich and those who live in big
\ncities\".<\/p>\n
Bagir said people in remote areas had been long neglected,
\ndespite the fact most of them were powerless when it came to
\nlegal disputes.<\/p>\n
He suggested lawyers, particularly well-paid ones, helped
\ndevelop legal aid institutes across the country for the poor.<\/p>\n
Many institutes under the auspices of the Indonesian Legal Aid
\nInstitute (YLBHI) have closed their offices after foreign donors
\nstopped their aid a few years ago.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lawyers-warned-against-back-room-deals-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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