JAKARTA ~ The authorities plan to quarantine clerks handling legal challenges to poll results to prevent corruption following the April 9 parliamentary election, an official said.

Thirty judicial clerks will be required to stay behind closed doors, under police supervision and watched over by security cameras for a month after the April 9 polls.

“It’s proof that we’re committed to having clean and fair elections. It’s all about integrity,” Constitutional Court official Fadzlun said.

“It’s not that we don’t trust them. Morally we’ve signed an integrity pact, but it’s better to prevent clerks who will keep proof of poll results from doing anything corrupt.”

He said a similar scheme had been used successfully in the 2004 election.

The clerks would be allowed time off to see their families but otherwise would be under lock and key at constitutional court premises.

“The public here is still suspicious of our judicial system,” Fadzlun said, referring to the widespread belief that Indonesia’s courts are riddled with corruption.

The court will start to receive complaints from political parties wishing to contest results one month after the elections.