Judge Erintuah Admits He Was Asked By Lawyers To Help Decide Ronald Tannur To Be Freely Sentenced

The defendant Erintuah Damanik as the inactive judge of the Surabaya District Court (PN) while testifying in the bribery and gratification case at the Jakarta Corruption Court, Monday (3/3/2025). (ANTARA/Agatha Olivia Victoria)

The inactive judge of the Surabaya District Court, Erintuah Damanik, admitted that the lawyer convicted of the murder case of Ronald Tannur, Lisa Rachmat, asked her to help give acquittal on her client's case.

Erintuah, who is also a defendant in the alleged bribery case against Ronald Tannur's acquittal in 2024 and gratuities, revealed that before the trial began, Lisa Rachmat conveyed this to her before the inaugural trial of the Ronald Tannur case began on March 19, 2024.

"Lisa told me, 'Sir, please help, so that you are free. No witnesses will see this'," said Erintuah when she was a witness at the trial at the Jakarta Corruption Court (Tipikor), Monday, March 3.

He said Lisa conveyed this while showing a large envelope filled with money while saying that the money was safe because the public prosecutor and investigators had been arrested.

Responding to Lisa's statement, Erintuah did not go too far to ask about it and asked Lisa to wait because she wanted to see the case first.

He explained that Lisa approached him after leaving the chairman of the Surabaya District Court, which at that time was held by Rudi Suparmono, on March 4, 2024.

After that, the trial of Ronald Tannur's case took place and after the panel of judges held a deliberation, it was agreed that Ronald Tannur was innocent.

After the panel of judges' deliberation was completed, she said Lisa contacted her to meet on June 1, 2024 and hand over an envelope containing 140 thousand Singapore dollars or equivalent to Rp1.66 billion (exchange rate of Rp11,900).

"Two weeks later, I handed over the money in the room of the inactive judges at the Surabaya Mangapul District Court and Mangapul distributed it to us the panel of judges who handled the Ronald Tannur case, the chairman of the Surabaya District Court, and the substitute clerk," he said.

Erintuah testified in the alleged case of an alleged conspiracy in the form of bribery assistance in the handling of the alleged murder case of Ronald Tannur in 2024 at the cassation and gratuity level in 2012 '2022 that ensnared former Mazarof Ricar official.

In that case, Zarof was charged with committing an evil conspiracy in the form of assistance to give or promise a judge money worth IDR 5 billion and receive gratuities worth IDR 915 billion and 51 kilograms of gold during his tenure in the Supreme Court to assist in case management in 2012 '2022.

The alleged conspiracy was carried out with legal adviser Ronald Tannur, Lisa Rachmat, with the aim of bribery to Supreme Court Chief Justice Soesilo in Ronald Tannur's case at the cassation level in 2024.

For his actions, Zarof is suspected of violating Article 6 paragraph (1) letter a or Article 5 paragraph (1) and Article 12 Bjuncto Article 15 jo. Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001.

Apart from Zarof, Mangapul also testified for the defendant Lisa in the same case as well as for the defendant Meirizka in the alleged bribery case against Ronald Tannur's acquittal in 2024 and gratuities.

Lisa was charged with giving bribes to judges at the Surabaya District Court worth Rp. 1 billion and 308 thousand Singapore dollars and the Supreme Court Rp. 5 billion to indict the Ronald Tannur case at the first level and cassation.

Meanwhile, Merizka is suspected of giving bribes to three judges at the Surabaya District Court in the amount of Rp4.67 billion to give acquittal in the Ronald Tannur case.