Public, lawyers asked not to 'distract' judges

Public, lawyers asked not to 'distract' judges

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A judge has called on people, particularly lawyers, to leave
judges alone when they are making decisions in legal cases and to
stop distracting them with bribes, in a bid to produce fair
verdicts.

Andi Samsan Nganro, head of the Cibinong District Court, said
during a discussion here on Monday, that judges and court clerks
were prone to exploit their power, leading to the development of
"court mafias".

"Strong support from the people to insist on fair trails is a
must. People, including lawyers, are expected not to try and lure
judges and court clerks with bribes in order to win their cases.
Let judges make their legal arguments fairly," he said.

Andi, who was formerly a spokesman with the Central Jakarta
District Court, explained that bribes from people only disrupted
the judicial system.

He admitted that many people may well be asked for money by
court officials and judges in order to obtain favorable verdicts.

Andi urged non-governmental organizations and the media to
keep a watchful eye on the courts as this may help judges to
"resist temptation."

Legal observer Bambang Widjajanto said that Andi is a judge
with a good reputation who has the courage to issue rulings that
meets the public's sense of justice, even it runs against
government policies.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Legal Aid Institute Director, Uli Parulian
Sihombing, said Indonesian advocates did not have the commitment
to take a stance against bribing judges and court officials.

"Advocate organizations have done very little on this issue so
far. Of course, a few of them have attempted to join the movement
for judicial reform, but they have never declared their position
against bribery of judges or court officials," he said.

Meanwhile, Bambang suggested the establishment of a network
consisting of clean judges, court officials, prosecutors,
investigators and advocates, in a bid to limit the space of court
mafias.

"I believe that we have some clean and reputable law enforcers
and advocates. We need to support them in setting up a clean and
fair system. It's far better than just blaming them," he said.

Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) has issued a report
outlining the existence of court mafias across the nation. It
revealed that corruption within the country's judiciary was
glaring and well-organized, involving all players within the
legal system.