Only 10 percent of judges accept bribes: Chief justice
Only 10 percent of judges accept bribes: Chief justice
JAKARTA (JP): Chief Justice Soerjono denies the suggestion
that most judges in the country are dishonest and is convinced
that the majority of judges responsibly carry out their duties.
Soerjono estimated that at most, 10 percent of some 3,000
judges indulged in such corrupt practices as accepting bribes. "I
don't think the number exceeds 50 percent," he told reporters on
Wednesday after installing two justices at the Tax Advisory
Council.
The profession has come under close scrutiny in recent weeks
amidst allegations by a recently retired justice that as many as
half of all judges in the country take hefty pay-offs to fix
trials.
The former justice, Zainal Asikin Kusumah Atmadja, also
alleged that judges, prosecutors, lawyers, plaintiffs and
defendants are all working behind the scenes to fix verdicts in
return for money.
The local press has called it a "mafia court" system, though
the term has been derided by critics as a misnomer given the lack
of any organized syndicate structure.
Politicians have taken up the cause and recently, the United
Development Party alleged that justice had become a commodity in
Indonesia, up for sale to those with financial means.
The government, which sets all civil servant salaries, granted
all judges a 100 percent salary increase last January in the hope
of making judges more professional and independent.
Soerjono said that the authorities have taken disciplinary
action against those judges who abused their positions or
violated the profession's code of ethics.
He later referred to a recent statement by Minister of Justice
Oetojo Oesman that his office had punished 285 judges in the last
five years. Twelve of these had been expelled from the
profession, while most of the others were reassigned to lesser
positions in the court system.
"Asikin's statement was not supported by accurate data,"
Soerjono said. He said, however, that he was not planning to take
any actions against Asikin and dismissed the issue saying: "He's
entitled to his opinion."
Soerjono yesterday appointed two senior judges, Victor
Simanjuntak and Chairani A. Wani into the Tax Advisory Council,
as deputy chairman and member, respectively.
The council, a non-judicial institution that was established
under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance, is meant to
evaluate and settle disputes between taxpayers and the
government.
Its members are selected from the Supreme Court and the
Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (imn)