MA Rotates District Court Judges in Jakarta and Surabaya

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The Supreme Court or MA has conducted a large-scale rotation of judges serving in the District Courts or PN in the regions of Jakarta and Surabaya.

At least 61 judges who were originally assigned to four district courts in Jakarta and 10 judges in the Surabaya court have been redistributed to various regions, replaced by judges who were originally serving in the Supreme Court and district courts in the regions.

The large-scale transfer of judges is the result of a meeting of the leadership of the Supreme Court on Tuesday (22/4/2025), following the arrest of the Chairman of the South Jakarta District Court, Muhammad Arif Nuryanto, on April 11, and the detention of three judges from the Jakarta Corruption Court, namely Djuyamto, Ali Muhtarom, and Agam Syarif.

For example, at the Central Jakarta District Court, out of a total of 35 judges, 11 of them were transferred to other courts in the region. Meanwhile, 11 judges from a total of 28 judges at the West Jakarta District Court were also rotated. Similarly, 13 judges from 30 judges at the South Jakarta District Court, 14 judges from a total of 30 judges at the East Jakarta District Court, and 12 judges from 24 judges at the North Jakarta District Court were affected. Additionally, 10 judges from a total of 41 judges at the Surabaya District Court were also included.

They will be replaced by new judges selected from various regions. The West Jakarta District Court and the Central Jakarta District Court will each receive an additional 15 new judges, the South Jakarta District Court will receive 14 judges, the East Jakarta District Court will receive 18 judges, and the North Jakarta District Court will receive 21 new judges. Meanwhile, the Surabaya District Court will receive an additional 14 judges.

In addition to the transfer of judges, three District Courts in Jakarta, namely the Central Jakarta District Court, the South Jakarta District Court, and the North Jakarta District Court, have received new leadership.

The Central Jakarta District Court will be led by Husnul Khotimah, who previously served as the Chair of the Balikpapan District Court, while the position of deputy will be held by Efendi, who previously worked as the Chair of the Dumai District Court.

The South Jakarta KPN will be replaced by Agus Wahyudi, who was previously the KPN of Banjarmasin, and the position of vice-chair will be held by I Gusti Ayu Susilawati, who was formerly the KPN of Gresik. Meanwhile, the North Jakarta KPN will be held by Yunto S Hamonangan Tampubolon, who was previously the KPN of Serang, and his deputy will be Salman Alfarasi, who previously served as the KPN of Tanjung Karang.

On April 11, 2025, the Attorney General's Office arrested the Chairman of the South Jakarta District Court, Muhammad Arif Nuryanto, on suspicion of bribery amounting to IDR 60 billion related to the handling of a corruption case involving the export of palm oil or CPO, which involves three major companies.

Arif, who previously served as Deputy Chairman of the Central Jakarta District Court, is suspected of arranging for the three corporations to be acquitted or ontslag van alle rechtsvervolging

In addition to Arif, the Attorney General's Office has designated three judges from the Jakarta Corruption Court who handled the case as suspects and has detained them. They are Djuyamto as the head of the panel, along with Ali Muhtarom and Agam Syarif as panel members.

In addition, there was also the Junior Clerk of Civil Affairs at the North Jakarta District Court, Wahyu Gunawan, and two lawyers representing the company, namely Marcella Santoso and Aryanto. Until now, the Attorney General's Office is still developing the case and has designated new suspects related to the matter.

The information about the Supreme Court reshuffling of judges in a number of district courts has received a positive response from legal practitioners.

"If it is true that (the re-draw) is brave enough to be executed by the Supreme Court, it could be one of the serious reform steps. However, this must also be accompanied by strict and quality selection for those who will enter (Jakarta)," said legal practitioner Miko Ginting in Jakarta.

Miko admitted to receiving information regarding the promotion of a mutation for the Chief Judge of Class IA Special Court. However, if radical measures such as reshuffling the composition of judges and clerks assigned to all District Courts in Jakarta are implemented, he supports such a policy.

"Only the supply (of judges and clerks) who are new must also be tight in their selection," he added. He is worried that if people who enter the PN in Jakarta are not subjected to strict selection, the step will be in vain because it cannot decide the problem.