Jakarta. A judge in the Surabaya District Court was arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Thursday morning for allegedly accepting bribe money from a defendant whose legal case was under his handling.

Judge Itong Isnaeni Hidayat was already in custody when KPK investigators were seen arriving at the courthouse early in the morning, the Supreme Court confirmed.

"At around 05:00 this morning, a KPK team arrived at the Surabaya District Court and Itong Isnaeni Hidayat was seen inside their car," Supreme Court spokesman Justice Andi Samsan Nganro said.

"To know what really happens, we’re waiting for an official announcement from the KPK,” he added.

The KPK said they arrested three people during the raid in Surabaya.

“We deal with another blow today after a judge, a court clerk, and a lawyer were arrested by a KPK team in Surabaya. It follows the arrest of three regional leaders in successive operations,” KPK Chairman Firli Bahuri said in a statement.

“I need to underline that we are not cherry-picking and the KPK and other law enforcement agencies will work tirelessly until we get rid of corruption.”

Who is Judge Itong?
There’s not much information about Itong, who is listed as a senior judge in the Surabaya court.

But reports by non-governmental organization Indonesia Corruption Watch, or ICW, reveal that he has controversially acquitted defendants in major corruption cases in the province of Lampung.

According to ICW, the judge acquitted former Central Lampung district head Andy Achmad Sampurnajaya in a Rp 28 billion corruption case in 2011.

He also delivered a not guilty verdict to former East Lampung district head Timur Satono who was accused of misappropriating the Rp 119 billion regional budget.

The Supreme Court has launched an internal investigation amid public scrutiny into the verdicts but Itong and three other judges who handled the trials in Lampung walked away without disciplinary sanctions.