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Supreme Court judge dies from COVID-19
The Supreme Court justice was known for his role in handing out death sentences to convicted murderers.
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The Supreme Court building in Central Jakarta. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court/-)
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upreme Court justice Dudu Duswara Machmudin died on Thursday evening at Sentosa Asih Hospital in Bandung, West Java, after testing positive for COVID-19. He was 69.
His death was confirmed by Supreme Court spokesman Andi Samsan Nganro on Thursday, kompas.com reported.
Before serving on the court’s panel of justices for nine years, Dudu was an ad hoc judge for corruption cases at the Central Jakarta District Court, which handles graft trials.
He obtained his bachelor’s degree at Langlangbuana University in Bandung, before continuing at Padjadjaran University for his master’s degree and later again at Parahyangan University for his doctorate.
He was also a professor at his alma mater, Langlangbuana University, and was known for his public lectures on the role of Supreme Court judges in appeals and case reviews within the Indonesian legal system.
Dudu was also known for his role in handing out the death sentence to Herman Jumat Masan, a former pastor in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara, for the premeditated murder of his lover and hiding her remains.
Read also: Former priest gets death sentence for murder
The Supreme Court’s verdict on Herman in 2014 was harsher than that of the Maumere District Court and the Kupang High Court, which handed him life sentences.
He has handed down death sentences to several other convicted murderers.
Dudu’s death is the latest to come from the Supreme Court. In October, the head of court’s law and public relations bureau, Abdullah, died at Siloam Hospital in Surabaya, East Java, albeit not from COVID-19.
The pandemic has spread among many government officials, some of whom have succumbed to the disease.
In the capital, COVID-19 has claimed the lives of Jakarta secretary Saefullah and Kelapa Gading district head M. Hermawan.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and his deputy Ahmad Riza Patria had previously tested positive for the disease.
Several Cabinet ministers have also tested positive for COVID-19, with some having already recovered.
They include Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Edhy Prabowo and Religious Affairs Minister Fachrul Razi.
The fisheries ministry’s director general for maritime spatial management, Aryo Hanggono, also died of COVID-19.
As of Thursday, the number of deaths from COVID-19 in Indonesia has surpassed 18,000. (ami)
