Jombang District Court reopened a controversial murder case on Monday, with lawyers for two convicts presenting new evidence and requesting the immediate release of their clients from prison.

In a maiden court hearing presided by Agung Suradi, a team of lawyers presented several new pieces of evidence to the court on behalf of their clients, Imam Khambali (alias Kemat) and David Eko Prianto. The same lawyers had previously submitted a request to the Supreme Court to reopen the case.

Kemat and David have been serving 17 and 12 year jail sentences, respectively, at Jombang prison since both were found guilty in May of killing Asrori bin Aldo. The body of Asrori, according to the initial Jombang police investigation, was recovered from a sugarcane plantation in Jombang in October, 2007.

At the latest hearing, Slamet Yuwono presented the results of a police DNA test which identified the body recovered from the sugarcane plantation as belonging to Fauzin Suyanto.

Slamet also presented a confession of serial killer Very Idham Henyayansyah (alias Ryan), saying that he had killed Asrori and buried his body in the backyard of his parents' home in Jatiwates village.

Along with Kemat and David, a third defendant Sugianto (alias Sugik) was also facing a 15-year prison sentence for his alleged involvement in the murder. Until now, the panel of judges has refused to acknowledge the new evidence, despite strong protests from the defendants' lawyers.

Slamet deplored Jombang police who, he said, had relied on physical evidence and inaccurate information in identifying the body found at the sugarcane plantation, and had allegedly forced confessions from their clients.

"The court's verdicts cannot be carried out to send our clients to prison, because of the incorrect identification of the murder victim. We request to the panel of judges to release them immediately," Slamet said, as quoted by Antara.

Two weeks ago, Fauzin's relatives took the remains of his body for burial from the provincial police headquarters, however Asrori's family refused to receive his remains which were later buried by the police in Surabaya.

Asrori's relatives had rejected his remains in an attempt to save face, reliable sources say, after prolonged friction with Fauzin's family over the village head election. The former reportedly paid a huge sum to Jombang police to bring Kemat, David and Sugik before the courts for Asrori's murder.

Several police officers who conducted the initial investigations are reported undergoing intensive interrogation for the wrongful arrest of the three, and for their identification of the body. --JP/Indra Harsaputra

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