Anticorruption judges hard to find, legal observer says

Anticorruption judges hard to find, legal observer says

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

People with convincing track records in fighting corruption are
hardly to be found on the list of applicants for ad hoc judges in
the proposed corruption court, an activist says.

Asep Rahmat Fajar of the Indonesian Legal Observers Society
(MAPPI) said on Saturday the lack of enthusiasm of credible
figures to sit on the special court indicated growing public
disappointment at the inability of existing law enforcement
institutions to deal with corruption.

"We have a new institution dealing with corruption and all
legal institutions have pledged to eradicate corruption, but the
crime remains rampant here," he said.

He was referring to the newly established Corruption
Eradication Commission (KPK).

However, Asep also pointed to the selection committee, which,
he said, lacked transparency.

"It failed to inform the public about its work and secure
public trust. The result is, we don't know the track records of
those who have applied for ad hoc judicial posts. We don't know
whether the applicants have a genuine commitment to eradicate
corruption or are just seeking jobs," he said.

Unlike the selection committee for KPK members, that for
corruption court judges did not provide the public with
sufficient access to the selection process.

A selection committee member acknowledged that his supervisors
barred him from explaining the selection process to the public.

"I have been ordered not to tell journalists or the public
anything about the process until we publish the results of the
selection tests in newspapers," said the official, who declined
to be named.

The selection committee, consisting of Supreme Court officials
and assisted by other officials from the National Law Commission
(KHN) and Partnership for Governance Reform, had earlier promised
to be open about each stage of the selection process.

It published last week in several national newspapers the
names of 189 of a total 379 applicants who had passed the
administrative screening.

As many as 63 applied for posts at Supreme Court level and 34
at high court and 92 at district court level.

One of the applicants for the corruption court at district
court level is M. Yamin, the prosecutor-cum-recipient of the Bung
Hatta anticorruption award, who failed in his bid for a KPK seat.

Applicants who passed the administrative test will sit a
written test on May 1 in either Surabaya, Semarang, Bandung or
Jakarta, depending on where they live.

The recruitment is expected to be completed on June 21, with
six judges selected for the corruption court at district court
level and four at high court and six at Supreme Court level.

Earlier, the committee elected 16 career judges to sit in the
corruption court. However, the selection was criticized for its
lack of transparency.

Asep said transparency was essential as the committee was
searching for credible and clean judges who would deal with high-
profile corruption cases passed to it by the KPK.

"According to the law, the KPK cannot halt its investigation
into graft cases, meaning all such cases it handles must be heard
by the corruption court. Without credible judges, the court would
contribute nothing to the country's fight against corruption," he
said.