Adi Andojo resigns from the anti-corruption team
Adi Andojo resigns from the anti-corruption team
JAKARTA (JP): Former deputy chief justice Adi Andojo Soetjipto
has resigned from the government-sponsored anti-corruption team,
saying that the decision was prompted by the team's failure in
taking any major corruption cases to court.
"I could no longer lead the team because since its
establishment seven months ago, we haven't been able to take a
single corruption case to court," Adi told The Jakarta Post in a
telephone interview on Tuesday.
"I feel that I have failed in carrying out my duty so it is
better for me to resign rather than face criticism from the
public," he added.
Adi, who submitted his resignation on Monday, also said his
decision to quit the team was partly based on the fact that the
team was not given enough power by the government to act in
corruption cases.
"We have been proposing that the team be established through a
government regulation in lieu of law and this will make the team
more independent," Adi said, adding that the team is currently
placed under authority of the Attorney General's Office.
Last year, the team alleged that several Supreme Court
justices were allegedly involved in bribery. The South Jakarta
District Court ruled, however, that the team did not have the
authority to prosecute the cases.
The team has refused to back down and plans to begin
submitting dossiers on alleged bribery cases involving judges to
the district courts concerned.
Adi, who has established a reputation for his uncompromising
stance on the implementation of justice and fight against
corruption in the legal system, also charged that the
government's commitment to eradicating corruption was still only
"lip service".
One of Adi's most famous decisions was exonerating labor
leader Muchtar Pakpahan from subversion charges in the last years
of former president Soeharto. But the ruling was quickly turned
over by his Supreme Court colleagues.
Adi, who retired in May 1997 after serving 18-years as deputy
chief justice, also made headlines in the mid-1990s with his
accusation of widespread collusion within the Supreme Court.
(byg)