The Irony of the Film "The Judge", between the Image of Judge Integrity and Zarof Ricar's Bribery Network

"The judge must be fair, honest, and not afraid of intervention by anyone."That was the father's message to little Jojo in one scene in the film Sang Pengadil.

Sang Pengadil is an action drama film produced by Lingkar Pictures in collaboration with the Supreme Court in 2024. Directed by Girry Pratama and Jose Poernomo, the film is led by Zarof Ricar alongside Agung Winarno as the executive producer.

The film "Sang Pengadil" tells the story of the character Atmojo "Jojo” Emilius, who follows in the footsteps of his father, Andreas, as a judge. Jojo, portrayed by actor Arifin Putra, is depicted as a young judge who is idealistic and possesses integrity, much like his father, a vocal judge in advocating for the truth.

In one scene, there are Jojo's words that seem related, or in the words of today's youth, related to the real life experienced by society every day. He said, "Many say that the law in Indonesia is sharp at the bottom and blunt at the top, aka only ensnares those who do not understand anything about the law."

In carrying out his profession as a judge, Jojo is constantly haunted by the incident that tarnished his father's reputation. Moreover, in his hometown, Jojo must confront a complex case related to a human trafficking network that involves significant power behind it. It is there that Jojo's steadfastness and integrity as the Arbiter are put to the test.

However, the film that is claimed to be the first to depict the life of a judge has been tarnished due to the actions of judges in the real world. The case of the bribery for the acquittal of Gregorius Ronald Tannur at the Surabaya District Court and the alleged gratification case at the Jakarta Corruption Court, which has recently come to light, demonstrate that intervention in the judicial institution can occur.

In fact, instead of maintaining integrity to avoid intervention as conveyed in the film, the production of the film "Sang Pengadil" was financed by bribery money for handling cases in the judicial system. Zarof Ricar, the executive producer of the film Sang Pengadil, is now one of the defendants in the bribery case involving the Surabaya District Court judge who acquitted Ronald Tannur.

The testimony of Bert Nommensen, a lawyer who was one of the witnesses in the bribery case leading to the acquittal of Ronald Tannur, during the hearing on Monday (28/4/2025), demonstrated the fragility of court officials in the face of money. Bert has known Zarof since they both attended the Christian University of Indonesia (UKI) for their law studies.

Bert also knows that Zarof Ricar is one of the officials at the Supreme Court. Zarof's last position was Head of the Research and Development Agency and the Education and Training of Law and Justice at the Supreme Court.

During the hearing, Bert revealed that at a meeting, Zarof mentioned he was in the process of producing the film "Sang Pengadil." This film tells the story of a judge striving to be idealistic in carrying out his duties. The film "Sang Pengadil" is set to premiere in cinemas in Indonesia on October 24, 2024.

At that time, Bert stated that Zarof offered to assist with any legal matters in court as long as Bert was willing to help finance the production of the film Sang Pengadil. However, Bert admitted that he was interested in helping to fund the film because there are rarely any legal-themed films that tell the story of judges.

For the film, Zarof requested 1 billion rupiah from Bert. Zarof used the term "1 meter," which was later explained as a code for 1 billion rupiah.

Because Zarof offered to assist in handling the cases, Bert sent documentation for two cases. One criminal case involving his nephew and one civil case, both of which are being handled at the Central Jakarta District Court. After that, Bert handed over 1 billion rupiah at Zarof's house. Bert hoped that Zarof could help manage the two cases.

However, Bert expressed disappointment as both cases were still ruled guilty. Similarly, the amount of Rp 1 billion given to Zarof turned out to be unprofitable. The film was only screened for about a week in theaters.

Hearing Bert's statement, Zarof denied ever promising to assist in handling the case. Zarof also denied ever requesting 1 billion rupiah from Bert for the production of the film Sang Pengadil.

Zarof was arrested at the Le Meridien Hotel in Bali on October 24, 2024, just as the film Sang Pengadil premiered in theaters. The following day, Zarof was named a suspect in the bribery case concerning the acquittal verdict for Ronald Tannur, which also implicated three judges from the Surabaya District Court. Currently, the case is still being tried at the Jakarta Corruption Court.

In the bribery case, Zarof Ricar was charged with violating Article 6 Paragraph (1) Letter a in conjunction with Article 15 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption in conjunction with Article 55 Paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code or Article 5 Paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 15 in conjunction with Article 18 of the Law concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption in conjunction with Article 55 Paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code. Regarding the Rp 915 billion and 51 kilograms of gold, Zarof Ricar was charged with violating Article 12 B in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption.

The Head of the Legal Information Center of the Attorney General's Office, Harli Siregar, stated that investigators are monitoring developments in the trial concerning the defendant Zarof Ricar, including the testimony of Bert Nommensen regarding the provision of IDR 1 billion. Furthermore, to trace the flow of bribes received by Zarof Ricar, as narrated by Bert, on April 10, the investigators of the Attorney General's Office have designated the former employee of the Supreme Court as a suspect in the crime of money laundering.

"There are developments regarding witnesses, and so forth. Therefore, we are entering into the Money Laundering framework. For what purpose? So that all assets can be secured. This also answers the question, if it involves Money Laundering, from whom did he receive the money and to whom did he hand it over? Thus, we certainly hope that everything can be more transparent in handling the Money Laundering case," said Harli.

The money laundering case originating from the bribery conviction of Ronald Tannur began to be investigated based on the Investigation Warrant (Sprindik) Number 06 of 2025, which was issued on April 10, 2025.

In addition to Zarof, Harli continued, investigators have also named Heru Hanindyo as a suspect in the money laundering case related to the bribery case at the Surabaya District Court. Heru Hanindyo is also a defendant in the bribery case concerning the acquittal of Ronald Tannur. In the money laundering case, they are charged under Article 3 of Law Number 8 of 2010 concerning the Prevention and Eradication of Money Laundering or Article 4 of the same law.

Separately, a researcher from the Center for Anti-Corruption Studies at Gadjah Mada University (Pukat UGM), Zaenur Rohman, opined that to this day, the owner of the Rp 915 billion and gold at Zarof's house remains a question. If it is true that the money is the result of buying and selling cases, it must also be investigated how many cases have been traded. Furthermore, how many judges are involved in this matter.

"This should be developed with Zarof Ricar's network. The Attorney General's Office must reveal everything, no need to be half-hearted," said Zaenur.

Therefore, according to Zaenur, the Attorney General's decision to designate Zarof Ricar as a suspect in money laundering is considered appropriate. By utilizing the Money Laundering Law, investigators have a significant opportunity to confiscate the money and gold that are suspected to be the proceeds of the crime.

"Imagine, this comes from how many cases that are being traded. If Zarof Ricar only acted as an intermediary, it means there are key players involved, namely judges, clerks, advocates, or other parties that need to be involved," he said.

The film "Sang Pengadil" and the case of Zarof Ricar are two different realities. In fact, Zarof Ricar was brought to trial for allegedly accepting bribes for the handling of cases in court. Meanwhile, the film "Sang Pengadil" will certainly be remembered as a work of art as well as a reminder of the turmoil within the judicial institution in Indonesia.