Last night, Indonesia’s anti-corruption commission (KPK) arrested a bankruptcy court judge in the Central Jakarta Commercial Court on charges of corruption. He will be required to undergo judicial ethics training with the Judicial Commission. It’s unclear if this is part of a larger effort to crack down on judicial corruption or just an individual case. It was a particularly conspicuous case in that the judge had tens of thousands of dollars (in different currencies), but it’s certainly not the only case of judicial corruption. There are a few brief articles about the case in The Jakarta Post here, here, here, and here. Hopefully we’ll see on this case more soon.
Indonesian judge arrested for corruption
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Filed under corruption, indonesia, KPK
Thailand v. Cambodia – fight on!
The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over the Preah Vihear temple has been mentioned on this blog before, but now it’s taken an even more explicitly legal turn. Cambodia petitioned the International Court of Justice to clarify its 1958 decision regarding the temple. That’s right – the ICJ ruled on this issue in 1958, and the countries are still fighting over it. It will be interesting to see what happens this time around – and more importantly, if a new decision actually resolves the dispute.
Change in Indonesia’s Constitutional Court?
It’s always been a bit of a mystery why Indonesia’s parliament agreed to create a constitutional court during reformasi. One researcher concluded that most legislators simply hadn’t realized what was actually in the reform packages they’d voted on. Whatever the motivation at the time, now it appears the parliament is going back and considering revising the court. According to The Jakarta Post, legislators are looking at judges’ pensions, tenure, and appointment mechanisms – in other words, some of the foundations of judicial independence.
In other news, Indonesian police are investigating allegations that a Democrat Party official falsified an order from the Constitutional Court in an elections case. The police have been investigating it for a year, but have taken no action. Meanwhile, the official involved is now the Democrat Party’s spokesman. Sadly, that’s Indonesia – corruption making a mockery of the justice system.
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Filed under indonesia, Mahkamah Konstitusi
Impeaching plagiarism after all
Last time I’d discussed the allegations of plagiarism against Philippine Supreme Court justice del Castillo, the Supreme Court had exonerated him of intentional wrongdoing. Now, Congress, dominated by Aquino’s Liberal Party, is threatening to impeach the justice. The House Judiciary Committee voted in favor of proceeding and is now forwarding the issue to the floor. Of course, this all happens in the context of the ongoing tension between Aquino and the Court, so perhaps it’s not surprising that some on the party want to punish the Court for what they see as activist decisions…
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Filed under Philippines, Supreme Court
More Burmese rule of law
Irrawaddy reports that National League for Democracy has also called upon Myanmar’s new government to adhere to the rule of law. As I mentioned yesterday, this seems to be an increasingly popular theme in the country’s political dialogue. However, I suspect the government has a different interpretation of what rule of law means. According to a New Light of Myanmar article from late 2007, then-Prime Minister Thein Sein told an audience of judges that the judiciary must work in harmony with the executive for the betterment of the country. Given the military’s dim view of the 1950s Supreme Court’s judicial activism, I suspect the new government will be wary of any sort of judiciary that might act as a check on the executive or legislative.
Dominic J. Nardi, Jr. 
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