Judges denied access to houses

TANGERANG: Judges newly posted at the Tangerang District Court have complained about the shortage of housing facilities, saying eight of the 13 the official houses were taken up by retired judges or those working outside the area.

"I spend Rp 300,000 (US$35) for my monthly house rent fee," said the district court spokesman, Ade Komarudin, on Wednesday.

Komarudin has been assigned in Tangerang since January 2000 and has to spend Rp 3.6 million per year renting a house from his own pocket.

The court only provides official houses for 13 judges but the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights has placed 21 judges at the court.

Of the 21 judges, only five of them get official houses. The rest must rent houses using their own money.

Komarudin said the ministry's director of general judicature had issued warning letters last year to the eight judges to leave their official houses but only one responded.

The new judges must pay Rp 20 million in compensation if they want to live in the official houses, he said. -- JP