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Editorial: Give corruptors no mercy

Hail to the panel of Supreme Court justices presided over by Artidjo Alkostar for not only taking a bold stance but also for setting the bar high when it comes to corruption eradication in the country, where graft has seeped into the executive and legislative branches of government and the judiciary

The Jakarta Post
Fri, November 22, 2013

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Editorial: Give corruptors no mercy

H

ail to the panel of Supreme Court justices presided over by Artidjo Alkostar for not only taking a bold stance but also for setting the bar high when it comes to corruption eradication in the country, where graft has seeped into the executive and legislative branches of government and the judiciary.

The three justices displayed no mercy in extending the jail sentence handed down to former House of Representatives lawmaker Angelina Sondakh by almost three times, from four-and-a-half years to 12 years. She was ordered to pay Rp 12 billion and US$ 2.35 million (Rp 27.5 billion) in restitution to the state for her active role in the corruption case involving the Education and Culture Ministry and the Youth and Sports Ministry.

In the eyes of the justices, Angelina, a former beauty queen and now a mother of a 4-year-old son, had malicious intent to enrich herself by asking for bribes. Reading the Supreme Court'€™s decision, the former Democratic Party politician deserves a heavy sentence simply because she had abused the power mandated to her as a lawmaker and state official.

Such a serious violation and breach of oath of office by a state official would lead to execution by firing squad in China.

The Supreme Court, in particular Justice Artidjo and his team, has therefore sent a horrifying message to graft convicts, that attempts to get their jail sentence reduced or if necessary annulled would fail. The court has responded to other appeals demanded by corruption convicts with increases in their prison terms.

Tommy Hendratno, a former tax officer found guilty of accepting bribes, had his three-and-a-half-year jail sentence increased to 10 years early last month, also by a panel of justices headed by Artidjo.

Justice Artidjo also presided over the panel that upped the prison term for former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nasaruddin from four years and 10 months to seven years in January this year.

In August last year, Artidjo and company extended the jail sentence for former secretary general at the Youth and Sports Ministry Wafid Muharram to five years from a previous three. Former North Sumatra governor Syamsul Arifin has to stay two more years behind bars, also thanks to a verdict in May last year from the Artidjo-led bench.

The country'€™s fight against graft badly needs judges and justices who follow the logic of Artidjo and his fellow justices, that corruption is an extraordinary crime and therefore requires extraordinary measures. Failure to hand down maximum sentence will not deter people with access to power from committing corruption. On a number of occasions, Artidjo has said corruption would remain rampant if judges opted for minimum punishment.

The ongoing war on graft must not rely solely on Artidjo as he cannot do it alone and will retire someday. The pressure is on the Supreme Court, the Judicial Commission and the House of Representatives, which each has the authority to select Supreme Court justices.

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