An Indonesian idiom says, “no matter how good a squirrel is at leaping, it will eventually fall to the ground”. Well, no matter how sneaky former Supreme Court (MA) secretary Nurhadi was, he was eventually arrested.
By
KOMPAS EDITOR
·3 minutes read
An Indonesian idiom says, “no matter how good a squirrel is at leaping, it will eventually fall to the ground”. Well, no matter how sneaky former Supreme Court (MA) secretary Nurhadi was, he was eventually arrested.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) had carried out a 110-day manhunt for Nurhadi and his son-in-law Rezky Herbiyono. Both were alleged to have been involved in bribery cases related to an MA case between 2011 and 2016. They were arrested in a rented house in Simprug Golf, Kebayoran Lama, Jakarta, on Monday (1/6/2020) evening.
Nurhadi’s wife, Tin Zuraida, was also detained by the KPK. While on the run, Nurhadi reportedly moved between houses and even cities. He had been named as suspect on 16 December 2019. The location of his arrest was the 13th place checked by the KPK. Another suspect in Nurhadi’s case, PT Multicon Indrajaya Terminal (MIT) director Hiendra Soenjoto, is still a fugitive.
Nurhadi and Rezky were alleged to have received bribes of around Rp 14 billion (US$992,268.80) in the handling of a civil case involving PT MIT and PT KBN (Persero). They were also alleged to have received a bribe of around Rp 33.1 billion in a PT MIT stock dispute and another gratuity of around Rp 12.9 billion related to a court case. It is hoped that Nurhadi’s arrest will serve as a starting point in dismantling the webs of judicial mafia (Kompas, 3/6/2020).
Nurhadi’s arrest reminds us of Pandora’s Box. Despite being called a box, what Pandora received was actually more of a jar. It was a gift for her marriage to Prometheus’ brother, Epimetheus. Pandora was prohibited from opening the jar.
However, as a human being, she was curious of what the jar held. She then opened it, only to find out that it contained various evils for mankind, including pain, pestilence, madness, lies, greed, envy, thievery and others. This was a punishment from Zeus, the leader of the Gods, given to Prometheus for having stolen the fire of Olympus. The jar had been opened and various evils were released into the world. Feeling regret, Pandora hastily closed the jar. Only one thing was left inside it: hope.
It is this hope that the public pins to the KPK today. Nurhadi’s case is like Pandora’s Box. If the KPK can open it, the judicial mafia may finally be uncovered. As a former MA secretary, Nurhadi may know about numerous improper judicial practices.
Adherence to laws and tradition in life, surrendering to God’s mercy in death.
Kompas records show that the KPK had looked into Nurhadi over 102 illegal accounts at the MA. Furthermore, in 2012, Nurhadi was under scrutiny regarding MA budget transparency. In 2014, he was widely criticized for giving iPods as souvenirs to guests at his daughter’s wedding. The case that ensnared Nurhadi and Rezky was emerged from a 2016 bribery case implicating former Central Jakarta district court clerk Eddy Nasution. Nurhadi was accused to have been involved in delaying a cassation ruling involving MA civil cassation and case review subdirectorate head Andri Tristianto Sutisna. Nurhadi has denied the allegation.
A Malay idiom says, “Adherence to laws and tradition in life, surrendering to God’s mercy in death”. A person is required to obey laws in life as he or she will be held accountable after death. This is an opportunity for the KPK and Nurhadi to help clean and improve the country.