No progress in war on graft: Bagir

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government's campaign to eradicate corruption since the onset of the reform movement four years ago was nothing more than half- hearted slogans as the crime was still rampant, Chief Justice Bagir Manan complained.

But Bagir denied allegations that his judges were to blame for contributing to poor law enforcement in the corruption fight.

"The corruption cases brought to the court took place in the past, but, based on people's judgment and knowledge, corruption is still rampant and much more iniquitous compared with that in the past," Bagir said as quoted by Antara in Surabaya.

"And if the public suspicions are correct, then we have to accept the fact that the burden to eradicate corruption should not be laid on the shoulders of the courts or the judiciary alone," he added.

Bagir further suggested a reform in bureaucracy which included a supervisory system in a bid to close the avenues of corruption.

Bagir was speaking during a national meeting of judges from various courts, including the human rights court.

The Indonesian judiciary is now under international scrutiny for its poor performance and its failure to curb corruption, which was corroborated by the findings of a special rapporteur sent by the United Nations in July.

Many legal experts and practitioners support the findings and say that all the law enforcement institutions, namely police, lawyers, prosecutors and judges, are involved in graft.

Since the revelation, some court verdicts have gone against corruption suspects, including former state secretary Akbar Tandjung -- now the House of Representatives speaker -- who was declared guilty of taking Rp 40 billion (US$4.4 million) of state funds.

But in other cases, verdicts ran counter to the anti- corruption drive, including the lenient one-year jail term for banker David Nusa Wijaya, who is still abroad, for stealing Rp 1.27 trillion in state funds.

The Jakarta High Court verdict that overruled a three-year sentence for Bank Indonesia Governor Sjahril Sabirin is also regarded by many as a step backward.

The facts, according to Bagir, have resulted in people's total distrust in the judiciary, but added that some verdicts should go in favor of the defendants and he had great respect for judges when did acquit.

"I respect the panel of judges who take the risk of acquitting a defendant if the evidence does not support the charges, as it shows judges' high integrity," he remarked.