NGOs propose Supreme Court audit team

NGOs propose Supreme Court audit team

JAKARTA (JP): Some non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
demanded on Friday that the Supreme Court establish an
independent team to investigate the judges, who have handed down
controversial verdicts in corruption case trials.

They were unable to meet Chief Justice Bagir Manan, who was
about to attend a coordination meeting on political and security
affairs at the State Secretariat building.

The NGOs included Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), Judicial
Watch (JW), the Consortium of National Law Reform (KRHN), the
Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta), the Research
Institute and Advocacy for Court Independence (LeIP), the
Community of people to watch the Indonesian courts (MaPPI), and
the Indonesian Society for Transparency (MTI).

Nizar Suhendra of MTI told reporters that the independent team
should have seven people comprising three academicians, two non-
career justices, and two career justices.

"If the team finds out that the judges have violated their
oath Bagir Manan must punish the judges."

The West and Central Jakarta District Courts recently turned
down the indictments against former Supreme Court justice Yahya
M. Harahap along with two justices Supraptini Soetarto and Marnis
Kahar, who were tried for allegedly receiving Rp 196 million in
bribes.

They were charged with violating Anticorruption Law No.
3/1999, which replaced Anticorruption Law No. 3/1971, while the
alleged crime, which took place between October and December
1998, was reported in April last year after the new law had
already taken effect.

The judges argued, "we could not try the justices under the
new law, because their cases were covered by the old law."

The case came to surface after the Anticorruption Team
(TGPTPK) received a report from Endin Wahyudin, who admitted to
having delivered Rp 96 million in cash to Yahya's house, while
Supraptini and Marnis received Rp 50 million each, in connection
with a land dispute case they were handling at that time.

Earlier, the South Jakarta District Court also turned down the
indictment of Zainal Agus -- Supreme Court director of
administrative tribunals, over his alleged receipt of bribes of
some Rp 100 million.

For the same reason, Agus was then exonerated of all charges.
The case was disclosed by TGPTPK following reports by lawyer
Maria Leonita Sri Chandra Harumi.

Ironically, after exonerating the justices the District Courts
tried Endin and Maria for defaming them.

Meanwhile, noted Lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis of JW said to
reporters on Friday that the government had to review the
Anticorruption Law as many judges had used the loophole that the
law did not contain transitional regulations.

"If President Megawati is serious in fighting corruption, the
revision of the Anticorruption Law must become her top priority.
I'm suspicious of the law that was made by Habibie's
administration to protect corruptors," Todung said. (tso)