A Blunder by the Judicial Watchdog

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Two officers at the one-stop integrated service desk of the Labuan Bajo District Court in East Nusa Tenggara were sitting at their respective desks, typing on their computers, at 12:11pm local time on Thursday, April 9, 2026. A few seconds later, they suddenly stood up.

A bespectacled man appeared in front of them. He introduced himself as Andi Muhammad Asrun, a member of the Judicial Commission. The moments surrounding Asrun’s arrival were captured by a surveillance camera, a copy of which Tempo reviewed.

Asrun told Tempo that he had indeed visited the Labuan Bajo District Court that day. He claimed that he was actually on vacation at the time and happened to be staying near the courthouse. He said the visit was made in a personal capacity, not as a Judicial Commission commissioner.

He said he had come after receiving a report from a law firm once run by Benny Kabur Harman. Benny is a member of the House of Representatives’ Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, from the Democrat Party Faction. The Judicial Commission is one of the state institutions that partners with Commission III.