A former Supreme Court clerk who retires because a millionaire is embroiled in a murder trial

Jakarta. Zarof Ricar, former head of the Supreme Court’s research and development division, enjoyed a prestigious career before retiring in 2022. However, recent events have cast a shadow on his post-retirement interests, which included producing the films Sang Pengadil (“The Judge”), which aims to inspire young people to become judges who value integrity.

Few questioned how a retired government official with a monthly salary of about 20 million rupees ($1,279) could afford to finance a film project. Zarof, who once held the respected position of vice-chairman of the Indonesian Football Association’s (PSSI) ethics council, was a widely respected figure.

However, 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 rupiah ($58.8 million) in cash and 51 kilograms of gold bars.

On October 24 – coincidentally the day of the premiere of the film “Sang Pengadil” in cinemas – 62-year-old Zarof was arrested in a hotel in Bali. He currently faces charges of intervening in the murder trial of Ronald Tannur and allegedly offering to influence the outcome of the trial in exchange for payment.

A closer look at the murder trial
Ronald Tannur was controversially acquitted of murdering his girlfriend, despite video footage showing him crashing his car into her. The July 24 acquittal sparked public outrage and prompted 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 29-year-old Dinia Sera Afrianti because he provided emergency treatment and took her to the hospital. They further argued that her death was caused by excessive alcohol consumption and ordered Ronald’s immediate release.

Appealing to the Supreme Court, AGO prosecutors secretly investigated the three judges responsible for the acquittal. On October 23, prosecutors announced the arrests of three judges – Erintuah Damanik, Mangapul and Heru Hanindyo – along with Ronald’s lawyer, Lisa Rahmat, on bribery charges. A search of their residences in Surabaya, Semarang and Jakarta revealed banknotes worth more than 20 billion rupees ($1.3 million). Prosecutors allege that judges received bribes from Ronald’s lawyer in exchange for his acquittal.

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

Zarof’s alleged role
In an attempt to uphold Ronald’s acquittal, his defense team sought additional assistance as the AGO appeal progressed. According to Abdul Qohar, director of criminal investigations at AGO, defense attorney Lisa Rahmat approached Zarof for help, hoping he could use his influence as an insider at the Supreme Court.

Qohar said Zarof “brokered” Supreme Court cases during his tenure, allegedly securing favorable rulings in exchange for money.

Lisa reportedly paid Zarof 5 billion rupiah, of which 1 billion rupiah was to be used for Zarof’s salary, Qohar said during a news conference in Jakarta on Friday. Zarof advised Lisa to first convert the payment into foreign currencies to avoid detection due to the large number of rupee notes. She agreed, exchanging money at a currency exchange office in South Jakarta.

Even before these reports, Zarof’s last public disclosure of his finances in 2021 raised questions as he showed assets of more than 51 billion Indian rupees ($3.3 million), an extraordinary amount for a career civil servant.

He could have easily retired with a lot of money and a reputation as a very respectable person.

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