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)