An expert witness in the high-profile murder trial of former antigraft chief Antasari Azhar testified Tuesday that voice recordings and text messages did not constitute evidence in a criminal trial.
“The Criminal Code states it is forbidden to present any electronic device as evidence in the trial of a general crime case,” Trisakti University legal expert Andi Hamzah told the South Jakarta District Court, as quoted by Antara.
Article 184 of the code, Andi went on, also clearly listed acceptable evidence as including testimony from witnesses and experts, documents, and testimony from the defendant.
Antasari, the former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman, is standing trial for the murder of Nasruddin Zulkarnaen, a director of state pharmaceutical company PT Putra Rajawali
Banjaran.
The businessman was killed in March in a drive-by shooting, allegedly over a love triangle involving the two men and ex-golf caddie Rani Juliani, who was also the victim’s third wife.
In their indictment, prosecutors said Antasari was driven to have Nasruddin killed because he was being blackmailed by the latter, who had caught him with Rani in a hotel in South Jakarta.
Media tycoon Sigid Haryo Wibisono and former South Jakarta Police chief Wiliardi Wizard are also standing trial for allegedly assisting Antasari arrange the hit.
In a previous hearing, Sigid testified he had recorded some of his conversations with Antasari without the latter’s knowledge.
In parts of the recorded conversation, Antasari and Sigid were heard rehearsing scenarios to kill Nasruddin, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors also allege Antasari once sent Nasruddin a threatening text message, and claim the latter then went on to show it to several other people.
Asked by Antasari’s defense lawyers whether it was right to consider the text message as evidence against Antasari, Andi said, “Even if a thousand people saw it, the text message still can’t be considered evidence.”
Two IT experts from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) also testified Tuesday about prosecutors’ allegations that Antasari had sent Nasruddin a threatening text message.
Both experts agreed there was always the possibility the message had not been sent by Antasari.
