Much rides on antigraft court<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The capability of the newly established Anticorruption Court to
\nbring to justice two suspected corruptors, one of them Aceh
\nGovernor Abdullah Puteh, is the only way for President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri to counter doubts about her determination to
\neradicate widespread corruption.<\/p>\n
The court, which is designed to try corruption cases handled
\nby the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), is scheduled to
\nhandle the case of Puteh, a suspect in the alleged marking up of
\nthe price of a Russian-made helicopter that caused state losses
\nof Rp 4 billion (US$440,000).<\/p>\n
Another case for the judges is the trial of Harun Letlet, head
\nof finance at the Ministry of Transportation's Directorate
\nGeneral of Sea Transportation, who is suspected of involvement in
\na Rp 10 billion markup in the construction of a seaport in
\nMaluku.<\/p>\n
Iskandar Sonhadji, a former member of the now defunct joint
\nAnticorruption Team (TGPTPK), said on Friday that there was
\nlittle information about the court's judges as most of them were
\nnot known in public.<\/p>\n
\"They have yet to start working. I don't know whether they can
\ndemonstrate integrity and resist temptation or pressure from
\ndefendants,\" he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.<\/p>\n
The court has been initially established as a division of the
\nCentral Jakarta District Court but has nationwide jurisdiction.
\nThe President has appointed nine judges to the court, including
\nthree noncareer judges.<\/p>\n
Due to questions concerning their integrity and legal
\nexpertise, the judges, especially newly appointed noncareer ones,
\nwill need to prove that they are the right people to send high-
\nprofile corruptors to jail, activists said.<\/p>\n
Asep Rahmat Fadjar of the Judiciary Observer Coalition (KPP),
\nwho observed the selection of the judges, said that the integrity
\nof some of the judges was questionable.<\/p>\n
\"Indeed, the integrity of most of the candidates is
\nquestionable. They are the least worst among the worst. But we
\nmust now support them and make sure they stay on track,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to Asep, the three judges appointed to the district
\ncourt level are \"not that bad\". They are Dudu Duswara, Achmad
\nLinoh and I Made Hendra Kusuma.<\/p>\n
Dudu is a lecturer at Bandung's Langlang Buana University and
\ncurrently studying for a doctorate at Padjadjaran University. He
\ngained the most support from the selection team, which comprised
\nthe Supreme Court, Supreme Court Watch and Partnership for
\nGovernance Reform. He is an active member of the Election
\nSupervisory Committee (Panwaslu) in Bandung.<\/p>\n
Achmad Linoh has never practiced law but is a lecturer at the
\nUniversity of Jember's law school in East Java. There is no
\nrecord of his involvement in any anticorruption movements. There
\nhave been reports that he allegedly helped his daughter secure a
\njob as a lecturer at the law school where he works. Achmad has
\ndenied the allegation.<\/p>\n
There is little information about the third judge, public
\nnotary I Made Hendra Kusuma. The KPP only says that Hendra has
\nnever been involved in any anticorruption movements in Bali.<\/p>\n
There is also limited information about the three judges for
\nthe corruption court at the high court level or three judges at
\nthe Supreme Court level.<\/p>\n
Iskandar believes that the integrity of the Anticorruption
\nCourt, which will play a pivotal role in moves against pandemic
\ncorruption, lay in the hands of the noncareer judges.<\/p>\n
\"A panel of judges in the Anticorruption Court will consists
\nof three noncareer judges and two career judges. They will have
\nmore power to decide in a corruption case,\" he argued.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/much-rides-on-antigraft-court-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}