Many and probably most Indonesian judges take bribes, and judging from the results of recent bankruptcy hearings, corruption is at play here, too. This farcical situation is far from isolated. Many positions in Indonesia's bureaucracy effectively are auctioned. These include the more desirable positions for traffic police, customs and immigration officials, and court clerks. Junior officials must pay their superiors a quota from their earnings to secure these spots.
Money raised by taking bribes from the public over and above their agreed quotas, they keep.
Those who fail to meet their quota are moved on and replaced by those who can. The practice is similar to what occurred in the Christian church in 11th century Europe. The position of bishop made a man wealthy and powerful, so many were prepared to pay to become one. If you could not pay up-front, you could usually negotiate to pay the agreed sum to the ruler who had nominated you, after you had been appointed. The practice was known as simony.