Judge face charges for Rp 300m bribe

Ibrahim, a judge at the State Administrative Court, faced bribery charges at a trial that began Tuesday at the Corruption Court in Jakarta.

Prosecutors from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) told the court that Ibrahim was caught accepting a Rp 300 million (US$33,000) bribe from lawyer Abner Sirait in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta earlier this year.

Ibrahim was serving as the presiding judge in a land-dispute case involving PT Sabar Ganda, represented by Abner.

On May, the South Jakarta District Court rejected a pretrial lawsuit filed by Ibrahim that questioned the legality of his arrest by the KPK.

Presiding judge Haswandy ruled that Ibrahim’s arrest by the antigraft commission was in line with the existing regulations, saying that Ibrahim had been caught “red-handed” receiving a bribe.

Therefore, Haswandy said, the KPK investigators did not need to seek permission from the Supreme Court and the Attorney General’s Office to make an arrest.