Nine nominees pass test for graft court
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta
The Supreme Court is expected to approve nine candidates that were selected by a screening process to sit on the ad hoc corruption tribunal, which will be set up later this year.
"We have selected nine candidates and submitted their names to the Supreme Court for approval. The court will submit the names to the President," said Moegiharjo, the director of the Supreme Court's criminal division, on Tuesday.
According to Moegiharjo, who is also a member of the selection team, the candidates are those that achieved the best results in the screening process. He declined to explain further.
The Supreme Court needs 16 ad hoc judges to sit on the ad hoc corruption tribunal with 12 career judges, who were selected last year.
Candidates that were selected by the screening process are former prosecutor Hamrat Hamid, lawyer MS Lumme and Constitutional Commission member Krisna Harahap, and lecturer Abdurrahman.
Former religious judge As'adi al-Ma'ruf and Ministry of Justice and Human Rights advisor Sudiro passed the screening process for the ad hoc corruption tribunal at the high court level while lecturers Dudu Duswara, Achmad Linoh and public notary I Made Hendra Kusuma passed at the district court level.
They were selected from a total of 25 candidates, who attended interviews last week.
Separately, Rifqi Sjarief Assegaf, an activist and member of the selection team, said that the Supreme Court would review the list before submitting it to the President.
Asep Rahmat Fadjar, the coordinator of the Judiciary Observer Coalition (KPP), supported their opinion, questioning the integrity of some of the candidates who were selected.
"Indeed, the integrity of most of the candidates is questionable. They are the best of the worst. But I do expect the Supreme Court to disqualify some of those who were selected," he said.
Some activists have questioned the selection team for picking MS Lumme, a former judge, as he is a partner of Lawrence TP Siburian and Associates law office. Lawrence is a member and legal counsel of the Golkar Party, while Abdurrahman was once involved in the National Mandate Party (PAN).
Some members of the selection team have complained over the low quality of the candidates, particularly with regard to their integrity and legal expertise. Justice Abdurrahman Saleh mulled the reselection of the judges of the ad hoc corruption court due to the poor quality of the candidates.
He said that judges for the corruption court must be honest and posses legal expertise because they will handle high-profile corruption cases.
The ad hoc corruption court will only hear cases brought by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). The latter is authorized to prosecute corruption cases that cost the state at least Rp 1 billion.
The establishment of the KPK, which has the power to summon anyone without prior approval from the President, and the ad hoc corruption court, is the country's latest move to reduce rampant corruption practices.
The move is made following the failure of the National Police and the Attorney General's Office to prosecute high-profile corruptors, most of whom have managed, with relative ease, to flee to other countries.