Wife of Former Indonesian General Faces 8 Years on Murder Charge

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesian prosecutors on Wednesday, Jan. 18, demanded an eight-year jail term for Putri Candrawathi, one of the five defendants in the premeditated murder case of Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat, a policeman.

Yosua, also known as Brigadier J, was the aide de camp of Putri’s husband – former two-star police general Ferdy Sambo – who was charged with life imprisonment for the suspected mastermind of the murder.

The public prosecutor said beyond a reasonable doubt, the defendant had been found guilty of assisting the premeditated murder of Brigadier J.

According to the prosecutor, the four other defendants are Ferdy Sambo, Second Patrolman Richard Eliezer, Brigadier Ricky Rizal, and Kuat Ma’ruf, who is Ferdy’s assistant.

Also read: Former Indonesian Police General Sambo Charged with Life Imprisonment

Enough evidence was found to prove that Putri Candrawathi had assisted the premeditated murder under Article 340 in conjunction with Article 55 Paragraph (1) 1st of the Criminal Code, according to the prosecutor during a trial at the South Jakarta District Court.

“We seek an eight-year jail term for the defendant, Putri Candrawathi,” said the prosecutor.

When the prosecutor was reading out the charges, members of the public in court shouted to express their displeasure at the demand. The judge then reminded the audience to remain calm to respect the court.

Putri Candrawathi is scheduled to present her defense in the next proceeding.

The prosecutors also charged Kuat Ma'ruf and Ricky Rizal with an eight-year jail term, respectively, for their role in the murder of Brigadier J.

The incident, according to a court document, happened because of a one-sided story from Putri, who claimed to have been harassed by Brigadier J in Magelang on July 7 last year.

Ferdy then got angry and killed Yosua with help from Richard Eliezer, Ricky Rizal, and Kuat Ma'ruf at Ferdy’s residence at the National Police Complex in South Jakarta on July 8.

Eliezer charged with 12 years in prison

Meanwhile, Richard was charged with a 12-year jail term for committing the premeditated murder, State News Antara reported.

“We demand 12 years in prison for the defendant Richard Eliezer Pudihang Lumiu,” public prosecutor Paris Manalu said while reading out the charges on Wednesday, Jan. 18.

The defendant beyond reasonable doubt of committing premeditated murder under Article 340, subsidiary Article 338 in conjunction with Article 55, paragraph (1) 1st of the Criminal Code.

Also read: Indonesian Police Investigates Sambo as Suspect in Premeditated Murder Case

The act that aggravated the demands against Eliezer was his role as a suspected shooter which resulted in Brigadier J's death. His action also caused deep sorrow to the victim's family.

"The defendant's actions caused widespread unrest in the community," Paris said.

As for mitigating circumstances, the public prosecutor said, the defendant was never been punished and behaved politely in court. He was considered cooperative during the trial, regretted his actions, and the victim's family has forgiven him.

"The defendant was a witness to the perpetrators, who worked together to uncover this crime," the public prosecutor said.

(Writer: Irfan Kamil | Editor: Diamanty Meiliana)

Sources: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2023/01/18/12182951/putri-candrawathi-dituntut-8-tahun-penjara-pengunjung-sidang-soraki-jaksa.

State News Antara