Court registers potential anticorruption judges

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Supreme Court opened on Tuesday the registration for ad hoc judge candidates who will be members of the special court that hears corruption cases, however on justice intimated that they were in dire need of funds.

Honesty, moral integrity and reputation are the key requirements for the candidates, in addition to a solid education, according to the head of the selection committee.

"It should not be viewed as just another job opportunity, it's a service to the country," Justice Iskandar Kamil, who heads the selection committee for the ad hoc judges, stressed during a press conference here.

There are six posts available at the district level, four at the provincial level and another six at the supreme court level.

The recruitment of anticorruption judges is being assisted by the Partnership for Governance Reform and a group of non- governmental organizations.

Eligible applicants who are seeking posts at district and provincial level courts must have graduated from a school of law or have a different degree with more than 15 years of experience in legal affairs and no be less than 40.

For judges at the Supreme Court level, the team requires that non-law school graduates have at least 20 years of legal affairs experience. They must be a minimum of 50.

Iskandar added that no applicants would be accepted if they had committed "indecent acts", or had been sentenced in a criminal case, and the verdict was finalized.

The requirements also ban executive management members of political parties, but any other members of a political party are welcome.

"The law only bans management personnel of political parties," Iskandar said.

He added that he hoped they would get many good applicants as the process was still open for good, qualified judges but that they probably would not be advertising the positions in the mass media.

Iskandar said they could not advertise because of a lack of funds, and went on to say the team was currently seeking a loan for such expenses.

The anticorruption court will be established this year as a part of the establishment of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), which is tasked to cope with rampant corruption cases in the country.

The Supreme Court has selected 10 judges to sit on the anticorruption court while the Attorney General's Office has trained some 20 prosecutors, six of whom have been serving with the KPK.