Supreme Court delays Judicial Commission's recommendations
Supreme Court delays Judicial Commission's recommendations
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Supreme Court will not immediately respond to the
recommendations of the Judicial Commission to give administrative
sanctions to the judges of the West Java High Court who issued a
controversial ruling in relation to the Depok mayoral election
dispute.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Bagir Manan said on Friday that
the Supreme Court would focus on examining the High Court's
ruling as part of a judicial review filed by the Depok General
Elections Commission (KPUD Depok).
"The core of the problem is in the judicial review. We don't
want to see the Judicial Commission's recommendations affecting
our decision over the judicial review. We'll prioritize the
judicial review, then solve other problems later," Bagir told
reporters.
The Judicial Commission, which was set up recently to oversee
the performance of the judges in the country and can recommend
sanctions against errant judges, issued last week recommendations
that included a one-year suspension for the chief judge of the
West Java High Court, Nana Juwana, and reprimand letters for the
four other judges after they issued a controversial ruling in
settling the Depok mayoral election dispute. This is the first
case handled by the Judicial Commission.
The judges last month annulled the victory of Prosperous
Justice Party candidate Nur Mahmudi Ismail in the June 26 Depok
mayoral election, and instead declared Golkar Party candidate
Badrul Kamal as the winner.
The ruling has sparked anger among PKS supporters, and
prompted the KPUD Depok to file a judicial review of the ruling.
The Judicial Commission said the West Java High Court judges
committed "unprofessional conduct" in settling the election
dispute, and recommended administrative sanctions for the judges.
It is now up to the Supreme Court whether to follow through on
the recommendations or not.
Bagir said that the Supreme Court would carry out the
recommendations of the Judicial Commission as long as it did not
threaten freedom of judges to make decisions.