Akil Mochtar (born 18 October 1960) is a convicted former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia that was indicted for his acceptance of bribery for an election dispute case, prompting President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who appointed him, to sign legislation creating a permanent ethics body to supervise the Constitutional Court of Indonesia.Haeril Halim and Ina Parlina, House endorses SBY's MK reform plan, The Jakarta Post, 20 December 2013. Accessed 19 May 2016.
Career On 3 April 2013, Akil Mochtar was elected the third chief justice.Ina Parlina, 'Ex-Golkar-lawmaker to lead Constitutional Court', The Jakarta Post, 4 April 2013. Akil was supported with seven of the nine votes cast. Akil, a former politician from the Golkar party, had been a justice of the Constitutional Court since 2008 and has a reportedly conservative approach in legal matters. He has said that in contrast to his predecessor, Machfud MD, he "would not talk to reporters much about politics."Prodita Sabarini, 'Akil Mochtar Turning the Tide', The Jakarta Post, 2 May 2013. On 2 October 2013, Mochtar was arrested by anti-corruption officials for allegedly accepting at least $250,000 in bribes, relating to a disputed election in Kalimantan.Indonesia arrests top judge on corruption charges, BBC News, 3 October 2013 Several days later, president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced that Akil was temporarily suspended from his position as chief justice of the court and that new and stricter procedures for the appointment of justices to the court would be introduced.'SBY temporary dismisses Akil Mochtar from chief justice position.', The Jakarta Post, 5 October 2013. Shortly after, the independent ethics council declared that Akil had been removed from his position and that the post of chief justice was vacant.Hans Nicholas Jong, 'Former PBB lawmaker elected Constitutional Court chief justice', The Jakarta Post, 2 November 2013. In the subsequent legal process, numerous instances of allegedly corrupt payments that Akil had received as a justice were presented by prosecutors.'Court reveals Akil's bribery record', The Jakarta Post, 22 February 2014.
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