Controversial Manulife judges moved

JAKARTA: Three judges who made a controversial ruling last year declaring Canadian-based insurance company Manulife bankrupt will be transferred to serve in district courts outside Jakarta.

Chief Justice Bagir Manan said on Thursday that both the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights agreed that "the judges have been posted in Jakarta too long."

When asked whether the transfer was due to the judges' involvement in the Manulife case, Bagir replied," Yes, for many reasons".

The three judges -- Tjahyono, CH Kristi Purnamiwulan and Hasan Basri -- were suspended last year for allegedly taking bribes to declare Manulife bankrupt at the behest of the now-defunct PT Dharmala Sakti Sejahtera.

However, President Megawati Soekarnoputri had lifted the suspension of the three in consideration of the findings of the Supreme Court's disciplinary committee that examined their cases, Bagir said.

Justice minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra had earlier suggested the judges be transferred out of Jakarta. The Jakarta Commercial Court manages more high-profile commercial cases than other commercials courts, including that in Medan, North Sumatra, and Makassar in South Sulawesi.

The Manulife case affected bilateral ties between Indonesia and Canada as the company was actually solvent. -- JP