Jakarta. The House of Representatives and the Constitutional Court have agreed to allow national anti-graft agency KPK to start legal process against a former judge at the court, Patrialis Akbar, after he was named a suspect in a bribery case.

The House's Commission III chairman Benny K. Harman revealed the agreement after a closed meeting between the two state institutions at Parliament House on Monday (30/01).

"The Constitutional Court is of the opinion that the case is within the jurisdiction of the Corruption Eradication Commission [KPK]. It can go ahead with the necessary legal measures," Benny said.

The commission also called on the government to appoint a replacement for Patrialis to avoid potential disruption in the court ahead of the simultaneous regional elections on Feb. 15.

The elections are almost sure to trigger a host of legal disputes since they will be held in 101 regions in the country at the same time.

2019 general and presidential elections

The meeting also discussed possible problems the judiciary and the government might face ahead of the legislative and presidential elections in 2019, especially ones related to Constitutional Court rulings.

"We discussed security implications, political consequences and social impact of the rulings," Benny said without elaborating further.

However, Benny did stress that Constitutional Court rulings are binding and must be complied with, and that the implementation of the rulings becomes the responsibility of lawmakers.