The arrest of Judge Syarifuddin Umar by the Corruption Eradication Commission received praise from anti-corruption activists. Up until his capture, Syarifuddin's track record reflected a feeble effort to eradicate corruption, Indonesian Corruption Watch said.

Syarifuddin was named a suspect on Thursday night after the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) claimed to have caught him red-handed taking cash related to a bankruptcy case.

The judge was caught accepting Rp 250 million (USD$29,000) from Puguh Wirayawan, a curator of Skycamping Indonesia, Johan Budi, a KPK spokesman, said on Thursday.

Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) highlighted events from the Syarifuddin's past to show that he has been a weak instrument in the fight against corruption.

First, the ICW pinpointed that his appointment to the Anti-Corruption Court in 2009 was canceled due to an onslaught of criticism from the media, academicians, law practitioners and various non-governmental organizations.

The ICW also pointed out that he has acquitted 39 corruption case defendants while serving as a judge of the Makassar and Central Jakarta District Courts. The last defendant he acquitted was Agusrin Najamuddin (the non-active governor of Bengkulu).

Additionally, the ICW said, Syarifuddin was monitored by the Judicial Commission during the corruption trial of Agusrin Najamuddin, in which Agusrin was acquitted of the charges. There was suspicion that the judge received bribe money in return for a favorable verdict.

Lastly, the ICW noted the judge was reported to the Judicial Commission for acquitting a former lawmaker from the South Sulawesi Legislative Council in an alleged corruption and bribery case.

"The KPK should handle the bribery case involving Judge Syarifuddin Umar to speed up the process," Emerson Yuntho, an ICW activist, told news portal Detik.com. "It will also close any possible collusion in the case handling."