Most judges not independent: Chief Justice

The Supreme Court Chief Justice Harifin A Tumpa believes most judges under his institution’s supervision are not acting independently when handing out verdicts because they often interact with people whose cases they are hearing.

“In the past 30 years, I haven’t noticed much change in the credibility of judges,” Harifin said on Friday.

“Therefore I urge them to become more independent.”

He said that only around 50 percent of them were becoming more independent.

“We need to change their perspective. We must stop them from compromising their independence, which they do by interacting with many people including the government and people they are trying.”

Previously, Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) and the Indonesian Court Monitoring Society (MAPPI) claimed that only three out of 35 Supreme Court judges were credible.

However, they derived their conclusion from observing judges’ personal behavior, such as their involvement in domestic violence and extra-marital affairs.