When Power Corrupts

Another scandal has rocked the Constitutional Court. This time, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested Patrialis Akbar, one of the court's nine justices, on bribery charges. After a similar case involving former chief justice Akil Mochtar a few years back, this latest scandal places the credibility of the country's highest court at rock bottom.

As with Akil's case in 2013, the accusation against Patrialis clearly amounts to abuse of power. While Akil accepted a bribe for finding in favor of the Golkar Party in a regional election dispute, the Patrialis case involved a review of Law No. 41/2014 on Livestock Breeding, in which he is alleged to have received a bribe of more than Rp2 billion from a beef importing company.

January 31, 2017