Indonesian judicial bodies condemn water thrown at Pati judge

On October 9, Supriyono, known as Botok, threw mineral water at Judge Retno Lastiani during a meeting at Pati District Court in Indonesia.

He was accompanying a resident who had come to speak with the court.

Near the end of the meeting, Botok reportedly accused a judge of taking 1 billion rupiah in a bribe.

The Judicial Commission called the water-throwing inappropriate and said it threatened the court’s integrity and impartiality.

The Supreme Court also condemned the act, expressed support for Retno and said it would not tolerate intimidation or violence against judges.

The Supreme Court said its oversight body had checked the bribery allegation and found no indication of a bribe; it also said Retno had no known integrity problems.

The commission has asked the Pati court to coordinate over the incident and court security, while the Supreme Court said it would monitor any legal follow-up.

A related case at the court is scheduled to continue until October 16.