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Analysis: Supreme Court’s credibility crumbles amid bribery scandal
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Three Surabaya District Court judges arrested by the Attorney General's Office (AGO), Erintuah Damanik (center), Mangapul (left) and Heru Hanindyo, arrive for detention at the East Java High Prosecutor's Office on Oct. 24, 2024. The judges were arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes in exchange for the acquittal of defendant Gregorius Ronald Tannur on murder charges. (Antara Foto/East Java District Attorney's Office)
I
n arresting retired senior Supreme Court official Zarof Ricar last week, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) appears to have killed two birds with one stone. State prosecutors not only revealed alleged bribery in the controversial acquittal of a former politician’s son of murder charges in Surabaya, but also entrenched corruption within the country’s judicial system.
Zarof has been named a suspect for his alleged role in helping Gregorius Ronald Tannur, the son of former National Awakening Party (PKB) lawmaker Edward Tannur, escape charges of assaulting and killing his girlfriend, Dina Sera Afrianti, last year.
The AGO later discovered Rp 920 billion (US$58.54 million) in cash and around 51 kilograms of gold bars during a search of Zarof’s house in Senayan, Jakarta. The assets are believed to have been collected by Zarof from his brokerage service during his term at the Supreme Court from 2012 to 2022.
Zarof’s arrest has only confirmed suspicions of a "judicial mafia practice" in which money can buy justice. Public demands have been mounting for comprehensive judicial reforms following Zarof’s arrest.
Zarof was arrested in Bali on the evening of Oct. 24 and named a suspect for allegedly accepting bribes from lawyer Lisa Rahmat in exchange for a court ruling to acquit her client, Ronald. The AGO has also arrested Lisa and Surabaya District Court judges Erintuah Damanik, Mangapul and Heru Hanindyo in relation to the bribery case.
According to Abdul Qohar, the investigations director at the AGO’s office for extraordinary crimes, Lisa also gave Zarof Rp 1 billion to arrange the panel of Supreme Court justices that would adjudicate Ronald’s cassation case, while an additional Rp 5 billion was earmarked for the justices, identified only as A, S and A. At Zarof’s request, the payment was made in foreign currency, which he allegedly stored in a safe in his Jakarta home.
Responding to Zarof’s arrest, Supreme Court spokesperson Yanto said that since Zarof has already retired, his actions no longer fall under the court’s direct responsibility. Nevertheless, the Court has formed a team to scrutinize the three justices who heard Ronald’s cassation motion. The justices found Ronald guilty on Oct. 22 and sentenced him to five years of imprisonment.
