Supporters rally for Justice Adi

Supporters rally for Justice Adi

JAKARTA (JP): A retired respected judge and a legislator
rallied yesterday behind Justice Adi Andojo Soetjipto, who is
facing dismissal from the Supreme Court for blowing the whistle
on corruption practices in the legal system.

Bismar Siregar, a former Supreme Court justice, said President
Soeharto must take into account the fine character and track
record of Adi Andojo in deciding whether or not to approve the
proposal to discharge the senior justice.

"Adi Andojo has served as a deputy chief justice for a long
time. He must have been very thoughtful and careful in his effort
to disclose alleged collusion in the Supreme Court," Bismar told
The Jakarta Post.

"I don't believe it was Adi Andojo's intention to jeopardize
the judicial system. The betterment of the system must have been
in his mind," he added.

Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono disclosed on Friday that
President Soeharto had received a letter from Chief Justice
Soerjono proposing that Justice Adi be discharged.

The move marked the culmination of a row, conducted in public,
between Soerjono and Adi over allegations of collusion in the
Supreme Court.

Adi insisted that collusion practices were rife, while
Soerjono said there was no evidence to support the claim. The
chief justice later ordered Justice Adi to desist, saying that
his action was undermining the integrity of the court itself.

V.B. Da Costa, a legislator from the Indonesian Democratic
Party, said the government should seek independent opinions in
weighing Soerjono's request to dismiss Adi Andojo.

"The government can also discuss the issue with the House of
Representatives," Da Costa told The Jakarta Post.

Da Costa accused Soerjono of acting "arbitrarily".

Bismar said Chief Justice Soerjono should not have become
emotional. "As Chief Justice, Soerjono has the prerogative right
to propose Adi's dismissal. But he should also have considered
Adi's goodwill in strengthening the image of the Supreme Court."

By law, the chief justice has the right to propose to the head
of state to discharge any member of the Supreme Court on the
grounds of either reaching the retirement age, physical illness,
inability to perform his or her duty and at a justice's own
request.

Both Bismar and Da Lopez said the House of Representatives
should also be given a say in the matter, given that it was the
House which had proposed the names of all members of the Supreme
Court, including the Chief Justice, to the President.

Da Costa warned that dismissing Adi Andojo would have negative
repercussions on the country's legal system.

"The day he is dismissed will be a black page in the history
of the country's judicial system. We should then hoist our flags
at half mast," he said.

Bismar disagreed, saying that there are still many other
independent-minded judges. "Do you think that all the other
Indonesian judges are really that bad?" he asked.

Da Costa said that Justice Adi had never really been given the
chance to prove his allegations of collusion in the Supreme
Court, noting some flaws in the way the court handled the
investigation into the allegations.

"Even if his allegations were unfounded, he should be allowed
to defend himself before the Court's Honorary Council," he said.
"If the council later faulted him for misconduct, only then could
Soerjono initiate his motion to discharge Adi," said Da Costa,
who is a member of the House's Commission III on legal affairs.

On a separate occasion, Muladi, law professor and rector of
Diponegoro University in Semarang, said everyone should respect
whatever decision is reached by the President.

"President Soeharto would consider all factors in making a
decision over the chief justice's proposal to dismiss Adi Andojo.
The decision, whatever that may be, will be beneficial for the
nation and the Supreme Court," Muladi was quoted by Antara as
saying on Saturday.

Separately, Satjipto Rahardjo, a law professor at Diponegoro
University, praised Adi as an "ideal" and "clean" judge.

"Adi's idealism can be seen from his firmness in trying to
maintain the good image of the Supreme Court by cleansing it from
any collusion practices," he said.

He called on Indonesian judges to uphold Adi Andojo as an
example of a good and ideal judge, so that the image of the
Indonesian judicial system would be clean. (imn)

Editorial -- Page 4