Judge K Given Two-Year Suspension from Hearing Cases for Misconduct During Working Hours

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Judicial Honour Council (MKH) has imposed a heavy sanction of two years off the bench on a judge identified as K after finding him guilty of sexual misconduct while he was serving as deputy head of the Dompu Religious Court (PA).

“The reported judge is given a heavy sanction of two years as a non-bench judge at the Religious High Court (PTA), during which the judicial post allowance will not be paid,” MKH chair Noor Edi Yono said.

In a press release from the Judicial Commission (KY) received in Jakarta on Tuesday, the commission said the decision was delivered at an MKH hearing at the Supreme Court (MA) building in Jakarta on Monday (19 October).

Judge K is currently a judge at the Banyuwangi Religious Court, assigned as a judicial judge at the Surabaya Religious High Court.

Based on an investigation by the Supreme Court’s Supervisory Agency, K was found to have left the office during working hours in an official car to travel with a woman identified as N, culminating in sex outside marriage.

The pair’s relationship began in 2021 after they met at a school reunion held on K’s birthday.

In February 2022, N visited K in Dompu. K then picked her up in an official car during working hours, and they went to a hotel.

According to N, the sexual encounter was forced. She subsequently asked K to take responsibility, but he said he had another prospective wife.

N later reported K to the Supreme Court’s Supervisory Agency in October 2022.

In his defence, K said he had been introduced to N by a friend.

K also said that N’s family had once asked him to stop communicating with her and that he had complied.

During the investigation, K said he and N had reached a peaceful settlement, but the Supreme Court’s Supervisory Agency continued to process the report.

At the MKH hearing, K called two witnesses in his favour—his elder sibling and his wife—and submitted several documents, including a statement recording the settlement with N.

However, the MKH found that their testimony could not mitigate the violation because neither had direct knowledge of the events under investigation.

The Indonesian Judges Association (IKAHI), acting as K’s representative, also sought a lighter sanction in consideration of his family circumstances.

The MKH rejected K’s defence that N had initiated the sexual encounter, saying it conflicted with findings from an investigation by the Mataram Religious High Court.

In its considerations, the panel noted several mitigating factors, including K’s admission that he had had sex outside marriage, his co-operation and remorse, and his service as a judge since 2008.

The aggravating factor was that the conduct took place while K was deputy head of the Dompu Religious Court.

“[The panel] decides, first, to accept part of the reported judge’s defence. Second, to amend the recommendation of the Supreme Court’s Supervisory Agency,” Noor Edi Yono said.

The MKH ruled that K had breached provisions of the joint Supreme Court and Judicial Commission Regulation No. 02/PB/MA/IX/2012 and No. 02/PB/P.KY/09/2012 on guidelines for enforcing the Code of Ethics and Conduct for Judges, particularly the duties to act prudently and wisely and to uphold personal dignity.

Under the non-bench sanction, K will not hear cases for two years and will not receive his judicial post allowance during that period.