Key witness absent, court reprimands prosecutors in Antasari's trial

The panel of judges of the South Jakarta District Court reprimanded the state prosecutors for failing to present the most-awaited key witness Rhani Juliani at Tuesday's hearing of the high-profile trial of former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chief Antasari Azhar.

Presiding judge Herry Iwantoro told the prosecutors they had no excuse for not bringing the witness, who is under police custody.

“In future, state prosecutors should be more professional, because there are a lot of witnesses [in the case],” he said.

“We called [her] but there was no answer,” Cirus Sinaga, head of the team of prosecutors, told the court.

Antasari is on trial for allegedly masterminding the murder of businessman Nasruddin Zulkarnaen, who was Rhani's husband.

Nasruddin, a director at state pharmaceutical company PT Putra Rajawali Banjaran, was killed in a drive-by shooting outside the Modernland golf course in Tangerang in March this year.

Along with 22-year-old Rhani, a former golf caddie, the four other witnesses set to take the stand Tuesday are Rusli, the first police officer at the crime scene; Suparmin, Nasruddin's driver; Sri Martuti, Nasruddin's first wife, and Irawati Arienda, Nasruddin's second wife.

In a previous hearing, Antasari's lawyers questioned the prosecutors' indictment, saying there was insufficient evidence to support it and it was a clear move to undermine Antasari's good standing through the graphic description of a sexual acts between Antasari and Rhani in a room at the Grand Mahakam Hotel in South Jakarta in May last year.

Prosecutors, however, insist their indictment is clear and strong.

Rhani first appeared in public in June, two months after the police had arrested all the suspects in her husband's murder, but has not spoken to the press.