July 12, 2016 edition

All was quiet at the Royal Bali Beach Club Hotel, Sanur, Bali, on Thursday two weeks ago. Just four foreign visitors could be seen sunbathing by the pool. Even so, according to the receptionist, all 32 rooms were occupied. "Only Royal Bali members can stay here," said the woman. But that turned out to be a false statement, as even non-Royal Bali members could be squeezed in.
Today, 12 expatriates are suing Permata Bahari, a hotel marketing company, and Royal Karma Development, the building owner. They are demanding that the two companies pay some US$76,000 in compensation plus Rp10 billion. "As long as they've been members, they've never been able to enjoy their rights," said Sylvia Maladi, the plaintiffs' attorney, last week.

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More Law articles in other editions

July 5, 2016 edition

At a hearing of the legislation committee of the House of Representatives (DPR), 'career judges' and 'ad hoc judges' were suddenly cast as foes. A number of justices with the Indonesian Judges' Association (Ikahi) and the Indonesian Judges' Forum (FDHI) proposed abolishing ad hoc judges at the meeting on May 23. "We just heard the proposal for the first time," said Firman Soebagyo, deputy chairman of the committee on Friday last week.
The committee invited Ikahi and FDHI to provide input for a new bill on the judicial office. At the meeting, FDHI spokesman Andi Muhammad Yusuf Bakri said ad hoc judges were no longer required. Among his reasons was the consideration that many career judges were now trained in the special areas where ad hoc judges had been needed. The opinion was backed by Ikahi member Abdul Gani Abdullah. "Now the legislation committee needs only to await a meeting with the legal affairs commission, who is the bill's initiator," said Firman.

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June 28, 2016 edition

When then Subang Regent Ojang Sohandi heard of a report on the embezzlement of Subang Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS) funds to the West Java Police, he was perplexed. Immediately, he contacted Adj. Sr. Comr. Teddi Kusnandar-an associate at the intelligence department of the police-and asked to meet. This was in early January 2015.
Ojang had known Teddi since 2013, and the two agreed to meet at the Trans Studio Mall in Bandung. Teddi was accompanied by Adj. Sr. Comr. Yayat Popon Rukhiyat, head of the subdirectorate of corruption of the Bandung Police.

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June 21, 2016 edition

Frans Katihokang was in high spirits following the ruling at Pelawan District Court, Riau, on Thursday two weeks ago. As soon as the judge finished reading out the verdict, the Langgam Inti Hibrindo operations manager could be seen vigorously shaking the hands of his attorney and visitors.
The judicial panel chaired by I Dewa Gede Budhi Dharma Asmara found Frans, 48, not guilty of a land fire that raged on the estate owned by his company on July 27-31, 2015. Justice Ayu Amelia disagreed. "The defendant is found to be negligent," Ayu said, reading from her dissenting opinion.

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June 7, 2016 edition

TWO bangs of the gavel were greeted with rapturous applause and calls of 'praise be to God' as dozens of fishermen from North Jakarta cheered the decision handed down by the Jakarta State Administration Court (PTUN) on Tuesday last week. "This is victory for the people and fishermen," said Kuat, one of the plaintiffs in the case.
The presiding judge granted the suit filed by Kuat and four fishermen from Muara Angke, North Jakarta. The other plaintiffs were Gobang, Tri Sutrisno, Muhamad Tahir and Nur Saepudin. The five had challenged the legality of the permit issued by the Jakarta governor to Muara Wisesa Samudra, a subsidiary of Agung Podomoro Land, for the reclamation of Isle G.

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May 31, 2016 edition

Dandeni Herdiana's gaze settled upon the paper detailing the list of events in the corruption case involving La Nyalla Mattalitti, chairman of the East Java Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin). Dandeni said he was shocked that the sole judge at the Surabaya State Court, Mangapul Girsang, had again declined to name La Nyalla a suspect.
"The judge did not properly take the prosecutor's explanation into account," said the head of the special crimes bureau of the East Java Attorney-General's Office (AGO) last Wednesday.

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May 24, 2016 edition

After six years on the run, Joko Soegiarto Tjandra shows no sign of letting up.
Convicted of corruption in the transfer of Bank Bali's debtors (cessie) in early January, Joko, through his wife Anna, appealed to the Constitutional Court to review Article 263, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Procedural Law No. 8/1981. His lawyer Muhammad Ainul Syamsu claimed the Attorney-General's Office (AGO) erroneously interpreted the article. "It is clear that only the family or heirs may apply for a judicial review," Ainul said last week.

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