Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Attorney General's Office has named Zarof Ricar (ZR), a former Supreme Court official, a suspect in an alleged bribery case linked to the appeal verdict against Gregorius Ronald Tannur.

Tannur is the defendant in the Dini Sera Afriyanti murder case.

"The individual (ZR) is strongly suspected of committing corruption, specifically conspiracy to bribe and accept bribes, in collusion with LR, Ronald Tannur's lawyer," director of investigations for special crimes at the Deputy Attorney General's Office, Abdul Qohar, said at a press conference at the AGO building in Jakarta on Friday.

Qohar informed that ZR, the former head of the Legal and Judicial Training Research and Development Agency of the Supreme Court, had conspired with LR to bribe Supreme Court justices to influence the appeal verdict.

The Supreme Court ultimately granted the public prosecutor's appeal and sentenced Tannur to five years in prison.

The investigation began with LR's confession. He admitted to asking ZR to persuade a Supreme Court justice to acquit Tannur.

LR told ZR he would provide Rp5 billion for the justices and a fee of Rp1 billion for ZR's services.

In October 2024, LR gave ZR Rp5 billion (about US$320 thousand), specifying that the funds were intended for Supreme Court Justices S, A, and S, who were handling Tannur's case.

ZR, who retired from the Supreme Court three years ago, was arrested at a Bali hotel on Thursday.

After questioning and evidence collection, investigators named ZR a suspect in the conspiracy to commit bribery and gratification.

LR is also a suspect in the same case.

ZR has been charged under Article 5 Paragraph 1 in conjunction with Article 15 and Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999, as amended by Law Number 20 of 2021, concerning the Eradication of Corruption.

He has also been charged under Article 12B in conjunction with Article 18 of the same law.

LR has been charged under Article 5 Paragraph 1 in conjunction with Article 15 and Article 18 of the same law.

ZR will be detained at the AGO detention center for the next 20 days. LR has already been detained in a separate bribery case involving three Surabaya District Court judges who acquitted Tannur.

On Wednesday, the AGO named the three judges ED (Erintuah Damanik), HH (Heru Hanindyo), and M (Mangapul), as well as LR as suspects in a bribery case.

An investigation had uncovered large sums of money, in rupiah and foreign currencies, at the suspects' homes. Investigators also confiscated documents related to money exchanges, records of payments, and LR's cellphone.

As per the details of the case, Tannur was accused of running over his girlfriend Dini Sera Afrianti with his car following a night out in Surabaya on October 4, 2023.

Afrianti, a 29-year-old widow from Sukabumi, West Java, had a 12-year-old child.

After a heated argument, Tannur allegedly struck Afrianti with his car in the parking lot of Lenmarc Mall in Surabaya.

He then took Afrianti to an apartment before heading to the hospital with her. She died en route. He was arrested shortly afterward.

Tannur is the son of Edward Tannur, a former House of Representatives member from the National Awakening Party (PKB).

Prosecutors charged him with murder and aggravated assault and sought a 12-year prison sentence.

However, on July 24, the Surabaya District Court judges acquitted him of all charges and ordered his immediate release, sparking widespread criticism from the Attorney General's Office (AGO) and the public.

After the acquittal, AGO spokesperson Harli Siregar condemned the verdict as flawed and unsupported, stating that it relied solely on the judges' subjective opinions.

He criticized the judges for disregarding key evidence, including CCTV footage showing Tannur's car striking the victim and forensic reports on the cause of her death.

Following an appeal by prosecutors, the Supreme Court on Tuesday (October 22) overturned the acquittal and sentenced Tannur to five years in prison for murder.

Related news: Judges’ arrest underlines need for judicial integrity








Translator: Nadia Putri Rahmani, Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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