Court's poor image due to individuals, says Sarwata

Court's poor image due to individuals, says Sarwata

JAKARTA (JP): Chief Justice Sarwata blamed the Supreme Court's
poor image this past year on, among other things, poor teamwork
and individual justices whose activities eclipsed those of the
institution.

Addressing the press after a meeting with President Soeharto
at the presidential residence on Jalan Cendana yesterday, Sarwata
said the Supreme Court had just evaluated and launched efforts to
consolidate, and had found some flaws in its working mechanisms.

"In our working procedures, it seems that individual roles
have received more emphasis (than those of the institution)," he
said. "In addition, in the past, the Court has not displayed
solid teamwork."

Sarwata did not refer to specific justices. However, the Court
underwent trouble earlier this year when Deputy Chief Justice for
General Crimes Adi Andojo blew the whistle on the alleged bribery
of several senior justices' involving Rp. 1.4 billion
(US$600,000).

The justices were said to have been paid to acquit a defendant
in a document fraud case involving the Gandhi Memorial School.

The court later set up an investigation team, led by Sarwata
who was then deputy chief justice for military tribunal affairs.
The team negated Adi's accusation, announcing no wrongdoing had
been committed and what had happened was merely a 'procedural
error' on the part of the justices.

The team's result did not satisfy Adi Andojo nor most of the
public. Before the team's verdict had been announced, the press
had published a confidential letter from Justice Adi to Soerjono,
Sarwata's predecessor, revealing the irregularities he said
marked the Gandhi Memorial School case.

Sarwata, however, said yesterday that Justice Adi had been
involved all along in the efforts to consolidate the institution,
which began immediately after his appointment as chief justice in
November.

"(Adi's) written recommendations were accepted into the
consolidation program," he said.

The chief justice also said the consolidation drive has
resulted in the establishment of a five-principle policy called
Panca Bakti Mahkamah Agung.

The policy includes efforts to improve discipline, to
revitalize, some restructuring and reorganization, and efforts to
improve the Court's function. Sarwata called the last
"refunctionalization".

Sarwata said with the policy, the Court hoped to be able to
put its house in order so that working spirits at the court would
lift.

Sarwata said the Supreme Court was aware of the pile of
unfinished cases, ranging from criminal to state administration
cases.

The Court has been struggling for years to rid itself of the
backlog of cases. Sarwata said yesterday there were 16,599 cases
waiting to be heard.

He vowed yesterday that from now the Court would provide
justice seekers with the best service. Among efforts to be
launched to meet this promise is the introduction of computerized
information programs to help justice seekers.

Those who visit the Supreme Court will be able to seek
information, for instance, on how far the institute has processed
their cases. Computers will be installed so justice seekers will
be able to seek the relevant information by themselves.

Another innovation to be introduced was what Sarwata called
the "audio computer," which would serve justice seekers who live
far from the Supreme Court.

"A justice seeker who wants to know about his case can call
certain numbers, give the case registration number, and
computerized telephone operators will inform him how far his case
has been processed."

Sarwata hoped to have the innovations in place before 2000.

Asked if the new programs would help revive the Supreme
Court's image as "the last bastion of justice," Sarwata replied:
"God willing, with hard work we can do it." (36)