In a hearing presided over by chief justice Arief Hidayat on Wednesday, the MK dismissed the challenge made by plaintiff Tonin Tachta Singarimbun to an article in the 2002 KPK Law, which allows the antigraft body to probe law enforcement officers.

“The challenge made by the plaintiff is not justified in law,” said Arief as he read out the verdict.

Tonin filed a judicial review request in August last year to exclude lawyers from the categorization of law enforcement officers. He claimed a lawyer could not be counted as a state body.

Tonin further argued that lawyers could not be categorized as law enforcers because they did not have any power to investigate or to prosecute.

Last year, watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) released a report saying 11 lawyers had allegedly been involved in corruption cases.

One of most outstanding cases was when the KPK named senior lawyer O.C. Kaligis as a graft suspect in July 2015. He was accused of having bribed judges at Medan State Administrative Court to secure the case of his client, former North Sumatra governor Gatot Pudjo Nugroho. The court sentenced Kaligis to five-and-a-half-years’ imprisonment.

The Supreme Court increased Kaligis’ punishment to 10 years in prison after it rejected his appeal in August last year. (kuk/ebf)

Popular

Volcano erupts in North Sulawesi, hundreds evacuated

Dubai roads, airport reel from floods after record rains

Ramadan boosts consumer confidence, retail sales