Justice a game for RI lawyers

Justice a game for RI lawyers

From Koran Tempo

During the New Order era, a senior and noted lawyer, who was smart with his tricks when handling his cases, was alleged to have been in contempt of court.

Recently, in a court hearing involving a very important government agency and a very important high-ranking official, swear words were copiously shouted inside the court.

Then in a gathering organized by a prestigious "Jakarta Lawyers Club", two famous lawyers almost came to blows over a disputed letter. This gathering, held on June 28, 2002 and broadcast by a private television station, was intended to expose the rotten aspects of the case in which Manulife insurance company had been declared bankrupt. Unfortunately, the show immediately turned into a protracted debate.

One lawyer said he had never offered his service to take care of the Manulife case while the other lawyer insisted he had a written proof about this offer. Very soon, the gathering turned into an arena in which the two lawyers tried to justify themselves. This ugly, farcical scene was also seen by TV viewers.

Then to make this farce even more unfortunate, a receiver in the case of Manulife's bankruptcy said that all his acts were solely in the interests of the state.

This gathering shows that all agreements resulting from the channeling of the Bank Indonesian Liquidity Support loans have become a ridiculous game of fortune hunting for lawyers.

A lawyer said during a Metro TV interview that if lawyers did not handle cases related to corruption, collusion and nepotism, they would not be able to amass wealth (i.e. get large bribes) and enhance their reputation.

If this is the case, then the lawyers' code of conduct that stipulates prioritizing the interest of the state and meting out justice must only be meaningless lip service.

TAUFIK KARMADI

Jakarta