RI names judges for corruption court
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta
President Megawati Soekarnoputri has signed a decree establishing the country's ad hoc corruption court, paving the way for the speedy trial of corruption cases handled by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
The President also issued a decree appointing three non-career judges to the corruption court, an associated appeals court and the Supreme Court respectively.
According to Decree No. 59/2004 on the corruption court, the ad hoc court shall be established at the Central Jakarta District Court but shall have jurisdiction over corruption cases across the country and acts of corruption committed by Indonesian nationals overseas.
"The corruption court has the authority to try and hand down verdicts on crimes committed by Indonesian nationals outside the country," the decree said.
The ad hoc corruption court was mandated by Law No. 20/2002 on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), a powerful body established to fight pandemic corruption across the country.
A survey among foreign business executives earlier this year by Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) showed that Indonesia was perceived as the most corrupt nation in Asia.
In 2002 a report by the private Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) said a "judicial mafia" tainted the system with systemic corruption from top to bottom.
To support the antigraft movement, the country established the powerful KPK to launch legal investigations into alleged corruption among state officials.
In Presidential Decree No. 111/M/2004, Megawati assigned nine ad hoc judges to the Supreme Court, High Court and District Court, with KPK serving as the prosecutor.
KPK is currently handling a number of high-profile cases including an investigation into Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh, who was declared a suspect in the purchase of a Russian helicopter that resulted in losses to the state amounting to Rp 4 billion (US$550,000) in 2001.
The ad hoc judges for the corruption court at the district court level were lecturers Dudu Duswara and Achmad Linoh as well as notary public I Made Hendra Kusuma. They are required to quit their jobs after their installation.
Non-career judges appointed to the appeals court were former warden-turned lecturer Sudiro, former religious court judge As'adi al-Ma'ruf and lecturer Abdurrahman Hasan.
Judge-turned-lawyer M.S. Lumme, former prosecutor Hamrat Hamid and member of the Constitutional Commission Krisna Harahap were appointed as ad hoc judges to the Supreme Court.
After retiring as deputy head of the Jakarta High Court, Lumme worked as a legal counsel with Lawrence TP Siburian and Associates. Siburian, a member of Golkar Party, was the counsel of Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung when he was prosecuted for graft.
All non-career judges were proposed by Chief Justice Bagir Manan early this month.
Bagir Manan said on Thursday that he had also submitted the names of six career judges to the President to be appointed as judges in the ad hoc corruption court.
The judges have a maximum of 90 days to hear corruption cases at the district court, 60 days at the appeals court and another 90 days at the Supreme Court.
Ad-hoc Corruption Court Judges ----------------------------------------------------------------
Name Court ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1. M.S. Lumme Supreme Court 2. H. Hamrat Hamid Supreme Court 3. Krisna Harahap Supreme Court 4. H.M. As'adi A; Ma'ruf High Court 5. Sudiro High Court 6. H. Abdurrahman Hasan High Court 7. Dudu Duswara District Court 8. Hendra Kusuma District Court 9. Achmad Linoh District Court ----------------------------------------------------------------