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Heavy task awaits new Supreme Court chief to tighten monitoring of judges
Judicial Commission (KY) chairman Jaja Ahmad Jayus urged the new Supreme Court (MA) chief justice to improve internal monitoring to prevent judges from breaching their code of ethics.
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The Supreme Court building in Central Jakarta. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court/-)
A
tough job now awaits M. Syarifuddin, who is about to start his new role as Supreme Court (MA) chief justice, with many saying that he needs to restore public faith in the country’s judicial system by imposing stern sanctions against judges who violate its code of ethics.
Syarifuddin, formerly the deputy chief justice for judicial affairs, won the majority vote during an election held in a plenary meeting attended by 48 justices on Monday, which was live-streamed on YouTube because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Syarifuddin replaces M. Hatta Ali, who is retiring at the end of this month.
Having served as chief justice at the country's highest court for eight years, Hatta has faced criticism for his failure in improving the judges’ compliance with the code of ethics. In 2019, for example, the Judicial Commission (KY) recommended sanctions against 130 judges for allegedly violating the code of ethics, a staggering increase compared to 37 judges in 2018.
“We think that the new MA chief should ensure that all legal proceedings should be more accountable. One way to achieve that is by forcing the judges to uphold their code of ethics,” Foundation of the Indonesian legal Institute (YLBHI) chair Asfinawati told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
“Accountability is the most important key in the justice system, as it can provide fairer rulings. And eventually, the public will have more trust in the country’s judicial process.”
As a lawyer, Asfinawati said she had encountered unreliable legal processes countless times when providing legal aid for her clients.
