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KPK criticizes Supreme Court’s supposed leniency toward graft convicts
According to the KPK, at least 20 graft cases handled by the commission between 2019 and 2020 were “botched” by the Supreme Court’s supposedly lenient rulings.
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The Supreme Court building in Central Jakarta. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court/-)
T
he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has criticized the Supreme Court’s recent record of granting judicial reviews of graft cases that have often led to lighter punishments than what was originally decided.
According to the KPK, at least 20 graft cases handled by the commission between 2019 and 2020 were “botched” by the Supreme Court’s supposedly lenient rulings.
“The KPK is dismayed by the Supreme Court’s mounting approvals of case review requests,” KPK spokesperson Ali Fikri said in a statement on Monday as quoted by tribunnews.com.
Ali added that the tendency to lessen punishments for graft convicts could paint a negative image of the country’s legal system as a whole.
Read also: Supreme Court seeks to limit disparities in graft sentences through regulation
“As the vanguard of justice, the KPK believes that this phenomenon will contribute to a poor public image […], which in turn will erode public trust in legal institutions,” he said, adding that corruption eradication efforts required a strong commitment and a shared vision within the legal system.
Ali called on the Supreme Court to issue a regulation on such matters to ensure fair legal outcomes.
A petition for judicial review contributed recently to the reduction of a prison sentence for National Awakening Party (PKB) lawmaker Musa Zainuddin, who was convicted of graft in 2017, from nine years to six years. (rfa)
