Court registers potential anticorruption judges

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.