Jakarta: Constitutional Court President arrested in anti-corruption blitz
Jakarta (AsiaNews
) - A new corruption scandal has shaken the Indonesian public and threatens to
bring down the credibility of the higher institutions of the country. Last
night the Anti-Corruption Commission ( Kpk ) arrested the President of the
Constitutional Court ( MK ) Akil Mochtar , former lawyer and leading member of
the Golkar Party, following a raid at his private residence in South Jakarta . The
officers caught and arrested him with evidence of bribery and corruption ; during
the operation, an amount of cash equal to three billion rupees (about 260
thousand dollars) was seized.
Originally
from the province of Central Borneo , Mochtar is among the most influential
figures on the national scene . As
well as the President of the Constitutional Court, Chairun Nisa , a member of
the Golkar Party and candidate for the Parliamentary elections of 2014 was also
arrested. In
a different operation KPK officers also arrested Hambit Binthin , current head
of the regency of Gunung Mas , in Central Borneo .
In
the past, high profile members of the political scene , including the leader of
the pro - Islamist Prosperous Justice Party (PKS ) Lufthi Hassan , and former
Minister for Youth and Sports Andi Mallarangeng have been targeted by the Anti-Corruption
Commission. The
charge for the President of the Constitutional Court is to have fixed - for a fee - a second term for Hambit Binthin
. Among
the top institutions in Indonesia , in fact , only the supreme court have the
power - in case of appeal - to sanction or reverse the outcome of the polls in
an election , be they local or national .
Indonesian
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyonohas spoken of "terrible fact , that affects
the highest judicial institution of the country." He
adds that it is a "legal matter and not a political one" and expects
more " rigor" and "transparency" from those in top
positions. Meanwhile
calls are mounting for the resignation Akil Mochtar , according to some of his
predecessors at the helm of MK, he deserves the death penalty for having
tarnished the institution.
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07/02/2019 17:28
