Former Supreme Court official who retires as a millionaire finds himself embroiled in murder trial

Jakarta. Zarof Ricar, former head of the Supreme Court’s R&D division, enjoyed a prestigious career before retiring in 2022. However, recent events have cast a shadow over his post-retirement activities, which included producing the film Sang Pengadil ( The Judge), intended to inspire young people to become judges with a commitment to integrity.

Few wondered how a retired civil servant with a monthly salary of approximately 20 million rupees ($1,279) could afford to finance a film project. Zarof, who once held the respected position of vice-president of the ethics council of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI), was a highly respected figure.

But an ongoing investigation into an unrelated murder case recently led prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) to Zarof’s home in Jakarta, where they discovered 920 billion rupees ($58.8 million) in cash and 51 kilograms of gold bars.

On October 24 – coincidentally the day Sang Pengadil opened in cinemas – Zarof, 62, was arrested at a hotel in Bali. He now faces charges of intervening in the murder trial of Ronald Tannur, allegedly offering to influence the outcome of the trial in exchange for payment.

A closer look at the murder trial
Ronald Tannur had been controversially acquitted of murdering his girlfriend, despite video evidence showing he rammed her with his car. The July 24 acquittal sparked public outrage and led prosecutors to appeal to the Supreme Court.

In their ruling, the judges reasoned that Ronald, the son of a former member of the House of Representatives, did not intend to kill Dini Sera Afrianti, 29, as he provided her with emergency assistance and took her to a hospital. They further argued that his death was due to excessive alcohol consumption and ordered Ronald’s immediate release.

While appealing to the Supreme Court, AGO prosecutors secretly investigated the three judges responsible for the acquittal. In a shocking development, on October 23, prosecutors announced the arrest of the three judges (Erintuah Damanik, Mangapul and Heru Hanindyo) along with Ronald’s defense lawyer, Lisa Rahmat, on bribery charges. Searches of his residences in Surabaya, Semarang and Jakarta turned up bills totaling more than 20 billion rupees ($1.3 million). Prosecutors allege that the judges received bribes from Ronald’s lawyer in exchange for his acquittal.

Following these arrests, the Supreme Court overturned the acquittal and sentenced Ronald to five years for aggravated assault, rather than murder.

Zarof’s alleged role
In seeking to maintain Ronald’s acquittal, his defense team sought additional help as the Prosecutor’s appeal progressed. According to Abdul Qohar, director of criminal investigation at the Prosecutor’s Office, defense attorney Lisa Rahmat approached Zarof for help, hoping to use her influence as an informant at the Supreme Court.

Qohar said Zarof had a history of “brokering” cases within the Supreme Court during his tenure, allegedly obtaining favorable rulings in exchange for money.

Lisa reportedly paid Zarof 5 billion rupees, of which 1 billion rupees were meant for Zarof’s fees, Qohar said during a press conference in Jakarta on Friday. Zarof advised Lisa to first convert the payment into foreign currencies to avoid detection due to the large volume of rupee notes. She complied and converted the money at an exchange house in South Jakarta.

Even before these revelations, Zarof’s last public financial disclosure in 2021 raised questions, showing assets exceeding 51 billion rupees ($3.3 million), an unusual figure for a career civil servant.

He could have retired peacefully with plenty of money and the perception of being a highly respected figure.

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