Ina Parlina, Jakarta – About 150 people in Muslim attire attended a recent hearing of former United Development Party (PPP) legislator Sofyan Usman's trial in a vote-buying scandal.

The men and women were members of a Koran reading group at the Asy-Syafaqoh mosque, located in a residential complex for lawmakers in East Jakarta.

One group member, Yanti, said the members voluntarily took buses to the Jakarta Corruption Court to watch the proceedings. "[Sofyan] is a very nice person," she said. "We just want to show our support." According to the court, Sofyan donated money to build the congregation's mosque.

Djoko Sarwoko, a Supreme Court justice for special crimes, said such religious displays in the courtroom were not illegal but might influence judges.

"The judges should not be affected, but the pressure coming from those who try to influence judges, by begging for mercy, are too big," Djoko told The Jakarta Post. "Sometimes the judges cannot do otherwise."

The court found Sofyan guilty of accepting bribe to support the appointment of Miranda S. Goeltom to a senior Bank Indonesia position in 2004 and sentenced him to 15 months' imprisonment – the lowest sentence levied on any of the 28 other lawmakers implicated in the vote-buying scandal.

Displays of religious piety also marked the investigation and trial of Bekasi Mayor Mochtar Mohamad. Mochtar was tried on three counts of corruption, including allegedly paying a bribe to ensure Bekasi would win an Adipura cleanliness award in 2010.

Hundreds of Mochtar's supporters from a mosque in Bekasi were on hand to lend "moral support" when the mayor's ongoing trial at the Bandung Corruption Court began in April.

According to media reports, hundreds of members of the congregation, mostly women wearing white Muslim attire, made the 130-kilometer journey from Bekasi to Bandung, and chanted shalawat badar (Islamic praise song) as Mochtar entered the courtroom during a later trial session in May.

Members of the congregation followed Mochtar throughout the investigation of his case, including when Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) summoned Mochtar for questioning and on one occasion when an investigator searched Mochtar's official residence in Bekasi.

On each occasion, Mochtar's supporters wore Muslim attire and staged performances, singing traditional Islamic songs and delivered sermons that said Mochtar was innocent.

The use of Islam in the courtroom is not new. The Denpasar District Court in 2005 acquitted Australian model Michelle Leslie, who converted to Islam while in pre-verdict detention, of "possessing, carrying or keeping an illegal psychotropic substance", which carried a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

The court sentenced Leslie to three months in jail on a lesser charge considering her remorse. Leslie wore a Muslim headscarf to the courtroom – once showing up in a burqa full body covering.

Djoko said defendants used different strategies to win sympathy. "Some use tears, while others stage rallies in front of the court building or yell and shout during the trial," he said.

Djoko said the government was preparing a bill to regulate actions that could be considered as unduly influencing the decision of judges.