Traffic offense trials prone to corruption

Traffic offense trials prone to corruption

By Muninggar Sri Saraswati

JAKARTA (JP): Some legal process may last for years, but not
traffic violation cases in Jakarta where the hearings last on
average just three minutes.

In one day, a court may hear dozens, or even hundreds, of
traffic violation complaints. The process is simple and quick.

The cases are handled by a judge and a clerk, without the
presence of any prosecutors or lawyers.

The clerk calls the defendants one by one and each person's
trial is finished in less than three minutes. They can then
recover their driving licenses or vehicle title documents
immediately after paying a fine to an officer from the
prosecutor's office in another room.

The five district courts in the city hold ticketing sessions
only on certain days. The South Jakarta District Court handles
such cases on Tuesdays and Fridays, while in the Central Jakarta
District Court, ticketing cases are heard only on Tuesdays.

Usually, the South Jakarta District Court tries between 100
and 150 ticketing cases per session, while the Central Jakarta
District Court handles over 300 cases.

But the number of cases has recently increased after the
police started conducting Operation Zebra Jaya raids on traffic
violators earlier this month. The operation is set to last until
the end of the year.

The South Jakarta District Court now handles over 600 cases a
week, while in the Central Jakarta District Court, the number can
reach over 800 cases.

On Tuesday morning, however, there were only some 10 people in
attendance at the ticketing session in the South Jakarta District
Court.

Don't be surprised. Being ticketed by the police here does not
always mean that you have to attend the trial.

You can just pay the fine in the police's vehicle document
office (Samsat) in the courthouse either yourself or using the
services of a middleman.

The size of the fines range from Rp 20,000 to Rp 60,000,
depending on the violation.

Middlemen are to be found in every court here, offering their
help for less than Rp 10,000. The parking attendants, court
guards and even the Samsat officers will all act as middlemen for
you.

Using their services means you can save a lot of time, but you
will not get a receipt after paying the fine.

Patrick, an employee of a private company on Jl. Gatot
Subroto, Central Jakarta, insisted on attending his case as he
was suspicious about the manipulation of the money.

"I must be sure about where my money (for the fine) is going.
I don't want to give my money to irresponsible officers,"
Patrick, whose case was been heard in the Central Jakarta
District Court, said.

Like other defendants, Patrick had to wait for hours for his
turn to be called.

"I know it's annoying to attend this trial, but I don't care
as long as I know where the money is going," he remarked, adding
he was ticketed for breaking a red light.

Head of the road traffic section of the South Jakarta District
Court Prihadi Wibowo acknowledged that people could save time by
not attending the trial. They could still get their driving
license or vehicle documents back after paying the fine.

"It is a privilege for busy people," he said recently.

He insisted that even though no receipt for the payment of a
fine was given, his office would pay the money collected from the
motorists directly to the prosecutor's office.

"Don't worry about it," he told the Post.

But he refused to reveal the amount of money involved.

He added that people who were suspicious about the eventual
destination of their money could also pay their fines directly to
the prosecutor's office through state-owned Bank Rakyat
Indonesia.