Bribery Cases of Judges Still Rampant, Judicial Commission Supervision Questioned

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - Several members of Commission III of the House of Representatives expressed regret over the rampant cases of bribery involving judges, including the recent case of bribery involving four judges at the South Jakarta District Court. Increasing salaries and allowances for judges is deemed insufficient to eliminate practices of corruption, collusion, and nepotism, as long as the mentality of the judges and the supervisory system remain fragile.

As reported on Saturday (12/4/2025), the Chief of the South Jakarta District Court, Muhammad Arif Nuryanta, was arrested on suspicion of receiving a bribe of Rp 60 billion to arrange acquittal verdicts for three major companies in a case involving CPO exports. Two days later, on Monday (14/4/2025), three judges appointed by Arif to handle the case—Djuyamto, Agam Syarif Baharuddin, and Ali Muhtarom—were also named as suspects after allegedly receiving a total of Rp 22 billion.

This case also adds to the long list of bribery cases involving judges.

A member of Commission III of the House of Representatives from the Democratic Party faction, Hinca Pandjaitan, when contacted in Jakarta on Tuesday (15/4/2025), stated that he deeply regretted the increasing prevalence of bribery cases involving judges. In reality, many judges have indeed compromised with a trading instinct. As a result, justice has merely become a commodity, as if it can be bought and sold.

"Bribery occurs because the perpetrators see economic benefits that outweigh the risks. They start from the calculation, 'If caught, the sanctions are relatively light, or can be lobbied to be light.' When there is a moral vacuum or at least lax supervision, there is a shift in values. Legal decisions are traded in the name of interests. The deterrent effect that should be present in the law enforcement system becomes paralyzed," said Hinca.

All this time, according to him, the public has always been trapped in the paradigm that increasing the salaries and allowances of judges will eliminate the practices of corruption, collusion, and nepotism (KKN). This paradigm is considered to need reevaluation.

"For me, improving income is just one variable. If the mentality and supervisory system remain fragile, then the temptation of bribery will still find its way. We can increase income figures to the sky, but if the opportunity to escape punishment is more enticing, ultimately black transactions become a rational choice," said Hinca.

He assessed that oversight within the judicial environment is still virtually nonexistent. Therefore, it is time for the institutional framework of the Judicial Commission (KY) to be evaluated, or even dissolved if necessary.

"The bitter truth is, we should just dissolve (KY). If KY is unable to monitor judges, what is the point of keeping it? It feels more honest to admit that they (KY) have failed. We need to strengthen oversight mechanisms, or if KY truly cannot fulfill its role, at least we should know which institutions deserve our trust and which ones have reached the end of their story," he stated.

Bribery occurs because the perpetrators see economic benefits that outweigh the risks. They operate based on the calculation, 'If caught, the penalties are relatively light, or can be negotiated to be lenient.'

Hinca hopes that the verdict at the cassation level will restore public trust, rather than strengthening negative assumptions about corrupt justice. However, he doubts this.

With such large bribes to judges, it is reasonable to suspect that the mistakes that the parties to the case are trying to cover up are manifold.

"In short, the large amount of bribe money raises the hypothesis that the corruption or violation that is being covered up is no less large. That is why I believe that if law enforcement agencies are able to uncover the veil behind this fantastic transaction, perhaps a more structured corruption will be revealed. It is not impossible that the series of evidence will later trace the flow of funds to other parties who have wider power," said Hinca.

Member of Commission III of the House of Representatives from the Nasdem Party Faction, Rudianto Lallo, agreed with Hinca. The case of bribery of judges that has emerged recently has tarnished and injured the judicial institution.

"We urge the prosecutor's office to reveal whoever is involved in the case, including the top officials of the Supreme Court," said Rudianto.

This case, he continued, proves that the practice of buying and selling decisions still occurs in the judicial institution. So far, Commission III of the DPR has also warned that every judge's decision should explore and explore the values of the community's sense of justice.

"And once again, what the prosecutor's office did was the right law enforcement step. And sure enough, apparently there was a lot of money pouring into the judges who should have acted as the last bastion of justice seekers," he said.

We urge the prosecutor's office to reveal whoever is involved in the case, including the high-ranking officials of the Supreme Court.

This embarrassing incident should also be a correction for the Supreme Court's top officials to improve themselves, including evaluating the placement of judges with high integrity in special class 1 courts and corruption courts.

Previously, member and Spokesperson of the KY Mukti Fajar Nur Dewata in a written statement said that the KY is concerned and regrets the incident of naming the Head of the South Jakarta District Court and three judges as suspects. The KY will take the initiative by immediately sending a team to investigate the alleged violations (Kompas.id, 4/14/2025).

"The team will collect information and initial statements related to this case. In principle, KY will immediately process information or findings if there are indications of violations of the judge's code of ethics," said Mukti.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court Spokesperson Yanto said that the Supreme Court respects the legal process carried out by the Attorney General's Office against the Head of the South Jakarta District Court and the panel of judges for corruption at the Central Jakarta District Court. He ensured that judges and clerks who have been named as suspects and detained will be temporarily suspended. If later there is a decision that has permanent legal force, they will be permanently suspended.

"The Supreme Court is very concerned about the events that continue to hit the world of justice at a time when the Supreme Court is improving and making changes in managing and implementing justice to realize a clean and professional justice system," said Yanto.