Judge faces bribery accusation

JAKARTA: The Supreme Court has prohibited judge Torang Tampubolon from handling cases after allegations arose that he sought a bribe from a plaintiff appearing before his court.

Chief Justice Bagir Manan said on Saturday his office had told the chief of the South Jakarta District Court, Lalu Mariyun, not to give any cases to Tampubolon, detik.com reported.

Wawan Iriawan, a lawyer representing PT Setya Teguh Persada in a commercial dispute with PT Asri Kencana Gemilang, reported to the police on Dec. 23 that Tampubolon had asked for Rp 3 billion in exchange for a ruling in favor of the company.

The request was rejected and PT Setya eventually lost the case.

The Supreme Court also has assigned a deputy chief justice to investigate Tampubolon. --JP