JAKARTA, Indonesia — The chief justice of Indonesia’s Constitutional Court was arrested this week in a nighttime raid on his official residence by anticorruption investigators, who accused the justice of taking a bribe to issue a favorable verdict in an election dispute.

The justice, Akil Mochtar, 62, was appointed to the Constitutional Court in 2008 and became chief justice in April. He was arrested around 10 p.m. on Wednesday at his home in a government-owned housing complex in South Jakarta. A woman and man in the house at the time — Chairun Nisa, a member of the national Parliament, and an unidentified local businessman — were taken into custody along with Mr. Akil, according to Johan Budi, a spokesman for the independent Corruption Eradication Commission. Mr. Budi said investigators also found a paper bag full of Singaporean and American currency totaling $232,000 at the house.

Investigators arrested four other men late Wednesday night at a hotel in Central Jakarta in connection with the case, Mr. Budi said. One of them was Hambit Binti, a district chief in Central Kalimantan Province on Borneo Island. Mr. Binti was re-elected to the chief’s post on Sept. 4, but his opponent contested the result; the Constitutional Court has sole jurisdiction over election disputes.

“We believe Hambit Binti gave the money to Akil Mochtar, through the lawmaker and the businessman, so he would win the legal case,” Mr. Budi said. “We are still questioning Akil Mochtar, and he will remain in custody.” Mr. Budi said the investigators acted on a tip from the public.

The chief justice was the latest in a series of senior Indonesian government and political figures to be caught up in corruption investigations. In August, the head of the country’s oil and gas regulator was arrested on bribery allegations after anticorruption investigators raided his home and found more than $700,000 in cash. In January, Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq, chairman of the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party, was arrested on charges of taking bribes in exchange for securing a government contract to import boxed beef.

In February, the chairman of the governing Democratic Party, Anas Urbaningrum, resigned after the anticorruption commission said he was a suspect in a corruption investigation surrounding the construction of a national sports complex in West Java Province. Andi Mallarangeng, a senior Democratic Party member and the country’s minister for sports and youth affairs, resigned in December after being named as a suspect in the same case.

The latest case, though, was an especially delicate one because of the power Mr. Akil wields. Dadang Trisasongko, secretary general of the Indonesian offices of Transparency International, an anticorruption advocacy group, said Mr. Akil’s arrest was dangerous for the country’s democratic transition, which began in 1998. Mr. Dadang said his group rates Indonesia’s judiciary as the third-most corrupt institution in the country, behind the national Parliament and the national police.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: October 4, 2013

An earlier version of the article referred incorrectly to Chairun Nisa, a member of Indonesia’s Parliament. Ms. Chairun Nisa is a woman, not a man.

SUMBER

Top Indonesian judge arrested over election bribe claim

INDONESIAN anti-corruption investigators have arrested the Constitutional Court's top judge for allegedly accepting a bribe of more than $US250,000 ($266,000) in a case linked to a disputed election.

The judge, Akil Mochtar, was detained late on Wednesday at his Jakarta home shortly after a businessman and a legislator allegedly handed him the amount, about 3 billion rupiah in local currency, Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) spokesman Johan Budi said.

It is the latest high-profile corruption case in Indonesia, one of the most graft-ridden countries in the world.

"The bribery was allegedly linked to a disputed election in Gunung Mas district on Borneo island," Mr Budi said.

The election happened on September 4. One of the Constitutional Court's main roles is to decide on electoral disputes.

The member of Parliament, of he Golkar party of former dictator Suharto, and the businessman were also detained at Chief Justice Mochtar's house, he said.

The head of Gunung Mas district and another man were arrested at a Jakarta hotel soon afterwards, Mr Budi said.

"The questioning of the five men is still under way," he said.

The case came less than two months after the powerful anti-graft agency detained the head of the country's main energy regulator for allegedly accepting more than $US600,000 in bribes.

Rudi Rubiandini, head of upstream oil and gas regulator SKK Migas, was arrested at his Jakarta home in mid-August with stacks of US and Singapore dollars in a black bag and small boxes, the KPK said.

The KPK has been granted extraordinary powers to investigate the rich and powerful in Indonesia, including wiretapping suspects and probing bank accounts.

But they face an uphill battle in a nation ranked 118th out of 176 in Transparency International's list of least corrupt countries.

SUMBER

Indonesia arrests top judge on corruption charges

The chief justice of Indonesia's Constitutional Court has been arrested for alleged bribery, officials say.

Akil Mochtar was arrested by anti-corruption officials late on Wednesday for allegedly accepting at least $250,000 (£154,000) in bribes.

Officials say the arrest, the latest in a series of high-profile cases, was linked to a regional election.

The Constitutional Court, established in 2001, holds the same legal standing as the country's Supreme Court.

Its responsibilities include hearing cases concerning the constitution and making decisions on election-related cases.

The court has developed a reputation as a respected judicial institution over the years, observers say.

Mr Mochtar, 62, was elected for a five-year term to the constitutional court this year. He was previously a member of the Golkar party before joining the Constitutional Court.

He was arrested at his home in Jakarta after a businessman and a lawmaker allegedly handed him money, a spokesman for the Corruption Eradication Commission said on Thursday.

The case was linked to a disputed election on Borneo island, the Agence France-Presse news agency says.

Two other people have also been arrested in connection with the case.

Last month, the anti-corruption court found a police general guilty of corruption and money laundering.

Djoko Susilo was sentenced to 10 years in prison and handed a fine.

SUMBER