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Judge arrests raise concerns over poor judicial oversight
Legal experts say the government’s policies aiming to improve judges’ welfare in a bid to curb corruption in judicial bodies will not work without stronger internal and external oversight of Indonesian judges.
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Attorney General's Office (AGO) investigators escort former Central Jakarta District Court judge Djuyamto (center) after an interrogation session at the AGO's headquarters in Jakarta on April 14, 2025. The AGO named four judges suspects in a bribery case pertaining to the acquittal of three palm oil companies in another corruption case relating to crude palm oil exports. (Antara/Dhemas Reviyanto)
T
he recent arrest by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) of four judges for alleged bribery pertaining to the acquittal of companies charged with corruption has prompted a call for stronger oversight of judicial institutions.
On April 14 and 15, AGO investigators arrested four judges previously assigned to the Central Jakarta District Court, namely Muhammad Arif Nuryanta, Agam Syarif Baharuddin, Ali Muhtarom and Djuyamto, for allegedly accepting bribes to acquit three palm oil companies in a crude palm oil (CPO) export corruption case.
Arif, who was serving as the court’s deputy head when the trial started in early 2024, allegedly accepted Rp 60 billion (US$3.6 million) in bribes from lawyers representing Wilmar Group, Permata Hijau Group and Musim Mas Group in exchange for arranging a favorable ruling in the case.
Arif allegedly shared the money with Agam, Ali and Djuyamto, the three judges handling the case. Also arrested in the case was former Central Jakarta District Court clerk Wahyu Gunawan, who allegedly communicated with the lawyers about the bribe.
The bribery investigation was a development of an earlier graft investigation into the alleged bribery of three judges at the Surabaya District Court in East Java. The judges were arrested in October last year for allegedly accepting money to acquit Ronald Tannur, the son of a former House of Representatives member from the National Awakening Party (PKB) who stood trial for allegedly assaulting and killing his girlfriend in 2023.
During the investigation into the Surabaya court bribery, investigators found electronic evidence mentioning a corporate lawyer’s name in a separate bribery case to secure a favorable ruling in the CPO graft case, said AGO spokesperson Harli Siregar.
Stagnant reform
