MILITARY SUPPORTS CAMPAIGN AGAINST JUDICIAL MAFIAS

Jakarta, Nov 6 (ANTARA) - National Defense Forces (TNI) Chief Gen Djoko Santoso said his institution supports the popular movement against judicial mafias as part of efforts to create a clean government.

"I will emphasize to my personnel not to violate existing laws, not to become a broker or get involved in judicial mafias. It is a form of military support," he said, when receiving Antara News Agency editors at the TNI Headquarters here Friday.
Djoko said, in line with Law No 34/2004, the TNI's basic tasks were conducting military operations for war as well as non-war purposes. Within the framework of non-war operations, TNI could play a role in assisting and overseeing government policies, including fighting judicial mafias.

In addition, the TNI also supported the first-100-day program of the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono administration such as terrorism eradication and preparedness to face natural disasters.

"This is part of the first-100-day program of the new government that has to do with the TNI. And we are ready to enhance our ability to match the authority and budget given to the military," the TNI commander said.

President Yudhoyono has made eradication of judicial mafias one of the 15 programs to be carried out in his first 100 days in office.

Judicial mafias refer to people who engage in harmful activities such as brokering under-the-counter deals with law enforcers, bribery, blackmail, case trading, threatening witnesses, threatening other parties, including collection of illegal levies.

In addition to damaging the public's sense of justice and legal certainty, the judicial mafias also cause material losses to seekers of justice and gain illegal profit from legal cases. ***4***