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.