Dishonest judges threatened with tough action

Dishonest judges threatened with tough action

JAKARTA (JP): Chief Justice H.R. Soerjono, responding to
allegations that justice in Indonesia can be bought, promised
yesterday to punish any judge found in violation of the
profession's code of ethics.

Soerjono said that punishment would be based on the degree of
their violations which, in some cases, could result in expulsion
from the profession altogether.

"Several judges have already been terminated from their posts
for violating the code of ethics," he told reporters during the
installation ceremony of two new officials at the Supreme Court.

"Those who commit the most extreme violations will be expelled
from the court," he added. Soerjono declined to mention how many
judges have been punished or expelled so far.

The latest criticisms against the courts of law, whose
integrity and independence have been the subject of a national
debate over the past month, came from the United Development
Party (PPP).

PPP Chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum, in reading the political
statement at the party's 22nd anniversary reception on Thursday,
lashed out at the country's legal system. According to Ismail,
justice has become a "commercial commodity" that can be bought by
anyone with financial means.

Ismail said the time has come for the nation to clean up the
country's courts of law and to restore the people's trust in the
legal system.

The courts have been attacked in recent months from within and
from outside parties. A retired justice last month said that many
judges have formed syndicates, popularly called the "court
mafia", that will fix the outcome of any trial for a hefty price.

The polemic took on a new dimension after the government
announced in November that it was awarding judges a 100 percent
salary increase beginning in January in order to strengthen their
integrity and professionalism. A higher salary, the government
argues, will spare judges from having to dwell on their welfare
and allow them to concentrate on their job of upholding justice.

Soerjono said he took Ismail Hasan's statement as one man's
opinion and that it did not refer to any particular case or
judge.

He acknowledged that there were judges who might have sold
out, but stressed that the Supreme Court has done everything in
its power to prevent such occurrences.

It is the Court's duty to oversee the judicial profession, he
said. "We will always try to prevent the law from being turned
into a commercial commodity."

Soerjono said the 100 percent increase, secured by his
predecessor Purwoto Gandasubrata before he left office last
October, would go a long way towards strengthening the dedication
of the nation's judges. "We expect a higher salary to improve the
professionalism and quality of our judges," he said.

He said there would still be one or two judges who would
violate the code of ethics after the salary increases, but feels
that overall there are "more good judges than bad ones."

"Eventually, it comes down to each individual judge," he said.

The increase put the salary scale of judges on a higher level
than any other civil servant, which is also one of the lowest
paid professions in Indonesia. But even after the increase, the
most senior judge with 30 years of service receives a basic
salary of just over Rp 1 million.

The two Supreme Court officials installed by Soerjono
yesterday as deputy secretary general and deputy clerk were,
respectively, Mangatas Nasution and Hensyah Syahlani.(imn)