29 Judges Indicted for Corruption in the Last 13 Years

According to a report by Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), 29 judges were named as suspects in corruption cases between 2011 and 2024. They allegedly received bribes totaling Rp107.9 billion to influence court decisions.

"A comprehensive overhaul of the Supreme Court's internal governance is necessary," ICW stated in a press release on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. "The designation of bribery suspects demonstrates the danger of judicial mafia. The practice of buying and selling verdicts to manipulate rulings is in a chronic state," it continued.

Beyond this list, in April 2025, four more judges were named as suspects in a corruption case involving alleged bribes to release defendants in a *crude palm oil* (CPO) export corruption case.

These four judges are Muhammad Arif Nuryanta, Chief Judge of the South Jakarta District Court, and Jakarta Central District Court Corruption judges Djuyamto, Agam Syarif Baharuddin, and Ali Muhtarom.

The Attorney General's Office named them as suspects along with three others: lawyers Ariyanto and Marcella Santoso, and court clerk Wahyu Gunawan.

Three palm oil companies—Wilmar Group, Permata Hijau Group, and Musim Mas Group—were defendants in this case, which concluded in March 2025 at the Central Jakarta District Court.

ICW considers this case to illustrate the grip of oligarchy on law enforcement.

"Oligarchs exploit poor governance in the palm oil industry through rent-seeking. This practice is used to obtain policies or legislation that benefit their industries," said ICW.