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Judge transfers fall short in tackling judiciary corruption
Announced on May 9, the latest wave of judge reassignments launched by the Supreme Court affected 41 judges in district and high courts across the country, triggered by recent arrests of judges in various bribery cases.
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A general view of the Supreme Court in Jakarta on July 22, 2024.
(AFP/Yasuyoshi CHIBA )
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recent wave of judge transfers by the Supreme Court following bribery scandals has been seen as a modest effort to improve the country’s judicial system, according to observers who cast doubt on whether the measure is sufficient to prevent corruption and strengthen judicial integrity.
Last week, the Supreme Court reassigned 41 judges in district and high courts across the country. The decision was announced on May 9 by the court’s Chief Justice Sunarto, who said in the announcement video urging all court personnel to “avoid transactional services and uphold integrity to work better”.
Among the names included in the transfer list was Judge Eko Aryanto, who was transferred to the West Papua High Court from his initial position at the Jakarta Corruption Court.
Eko previously made headlines for presiding over the trial of businessman Harvey Moeis in a corruption case involving state-owned tin miner PT Timah. The panel of judges sentenced Harvey to 6.5 years behind bars after it found him guilty of personal enrichment and money laundering in one of the largest graft cases in the country’s history.
The punishment prompted a public uproar as many observers said it was unduly lenient compared with the Rp 332.6 trillion (US$20 billion) total state losses incurred by the corruption. But the Supreme Court later denied that the transfer had anything to do with Harvey’s case.
Read also: Judge arrests raise concerns over poor judicial oversight
Another name included in the transfer list was Albertina Ho, who once served as a member of the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) supervisory council. Initially a deputy head of the Banten High Court, she was transferred to become the deputy head of the Jakarta High Court.
