Law and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsudin downplayed on Wednesday the recent arrest of a judge by the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) for having a “drug party” at a Jakarta night club.
“The judge is just like other ordinary people. We can understand that
the judiciary institution also has some officials using drugs. We need a
culprit sometimes,” Amir, a former lawyer, told the press after
attending a Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office.
Amir’s
statement came amid criticisms of a recent revelation that President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had granted sentence reductions to 19 drug
convicts since 2006. Critics said Yudhoyono had been inconsistent
because he had made a public statement in 2006 that he would not grant
clemency to drug convicts.
Last week, the Supreme Court revealed
that the President had granted clemency to drug convict Deni Setia
Maharwan. His sentence was commuted to life in prison.
Amir
refused to comment when asked how such a high judiciary body like the
Supreme Court could have on its payroll a drug-using judge.
“Don’t
speculate too much. Leave it to the police who will probe the case
thoroughly. The arrested judge should not be treated differently in the
legal process,” he said.
The BNN agents caught Puji Wiryanto, a
judge from the Bekasi District Court, while he was allegedly taking
drugs in a karaoke room at the Illigals Hotel and Club in West Jakarta
on Tuesday evening.
The BNN’s eradication division deputy chief,
Insp. Gen. Benny Jozua Mamoto, said BNN officers apprehended the judge
and two other guests, Siddiq Pramono and Musli Musa’ad, while they were
singing with four female escorts.
“One of the two guests is a lawyer,” Benny said without revealing if the lawyer handled cases under Puji’s watch.
The officers confiscated a number of ecstasy pills and crystal methamphetamine from the judge and his friends as evidence.
Benny said the BNN officers had Puji under surveillance program for some time.
Supreme
Court spokesman Djoko Sarwoko said Puji, who had been transferred
several times in his career due to personal problems, would be dismissed
if he was found guilty in this case.
BNN spokesman Sr. Comr.
Sumirat Dwiyanto said Puji had regularly consumed crystal
methamphetamine and ecstasy since he served at the Jayapura District
Court in Jayapura, Papua, in 2010.
“We have found early indications of involvement of other judges in the case,” Sumirat said.
The
arrest of the judge is the latest disgrace to the Supreme Court after
being hit by the arrests of several judges by the Corruption Eradication
Commission (KPK) for taking bribes.
On Aug. 17, the KPK arrested
two judges at the ad-hoc corruption court in Semarang, Central Java,
for allegedly accepting bribes.
KPK investigators also confiscated cash amounting to more than p 100 million (US$10,500).
Previously,
the antigraft body arrested numerous judges in its operations,
including Syarifuddin, a supervisory judge with the Central Jakarta
District Court, and Imas Dianasari, an Industrial Relations Court judge
with the Bandung District Court.
Meanwhile, the Bandung High Court has issued a decision to suspend Puji from his post.
His permanent dismissal however will wait for an approval from the President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.