Court hearings move online in Indonesia as fight against graft must go on

Illustration of a man standing before judges in a courtroom (Shutterstock/MR. Yanukit)

JAKARTA, March 27, Jakarta Post/ANN --Working from home takes on a whole new meaning in the fight against graft in Indonesia, with courts moving to the virtual world to hear corruption cases. The trials will also be live-streamed to make them accessible for the general public.

The Law and Human Rights Ministry said on March 26 all court hearings could be held with suspects staying at their detention centers and not having to show up at the court, according to the Corruption Eradication Commission.

The Supreme Court had earlier ordered to suspend all trials in view of the coronovirus outbreak, except for cases where a defendant’s detention period is about to end and cannot be extended.

The ruling follows a government instruction to suspend all public gatherings and practice physical distancing to prevent the virus from spreading.