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Judge in Meiliana trial arrested for alleged graft
The alleged bribery is related to a corruption case.
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Corruption Eradication Commission chairman Agus Rahardjo. (Antara/Puspa Perwitasari)
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators have arrested a judge in Medan, North Sumatra, for alleged bribery.
The judge, Wahyu Prasetyo Wibowo, presided over the blasphemy trial of Tanjung Balai resident Meiliana. The KPK case, however, is unrelated to her trial.
KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo said investigators apprehended at least eight people, including judges and court clerks, during an operation in Medan on Tuesday.
“We suspected that an illicit transaction related to a corruption case [handled in the court] had occurred. Investigators are still working to verify information obtained from residents,” Agus told The Jakarta Post.
He added that the graft busters also seized an undisclosed amount of cash in Singapore dollars during the operation.
While the antigraft body refused to reveal the identity of the apprehended individuals, Medan District Court spokesman Erintuah Damanik said among those arrested was Wahyu.
On Aug. 21, he sentenced Meiliana to 18 months in prison for blasphemy after she was accused of insulting Islam when she complained that the adzan (call to prayer) at her neighborhood mosque was too loud.
The conviction was widely condemned, including by the country’s two largest Muslim organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, which said the court had gone too far in applying the blasphemy law for an action that could only be seen as mild misconduct. (evi)
