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BREAKING: Disgraced ex-police general Ferdy Sambo sentenced to death for murder
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Ferdy Sambo, a former National Police general embroiled in a murder scandal, attends his trial at South Jakarta District court, in Jakarta, Oct. 17, 2022. (Reuters/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
T
he South Jakarta District Court sentenced on Monday former National Police internal affairs chief Ferdy Sambo to death for the premeditated murder of his own aide-de-camp Brig. Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat and for tampering with evidence in orchestrating a cover-up.
The panel of three judges found Ferdy guilty of the two counts. The sentence is much harsher than the life in prison demanded by prosecutors for Ferdy as the principal perpetrator.
The initial narrative surrounding the incident suggested that Yosua was killed at Ferdy’s official residence in South Jakarta in July 2022 in a shoot-out with Richard Eliezer, another aide-de-camp assigned to Ferdy. Richard at the time was an enlisted officer who ranked lower than Yosua.
Judges said on Monday, however, that Ferdy had instead fired a shot into Yosua’s head after Richard had shot Yosua on Ferdy’s command.
“The defendant, who was wearing a glove at the time, walked toward [Yosua who was lying on the floor after being shot by Richard] and shot the victim using a Glock firearm,” presiding Judge Wahyu Imam Santoso said.
Ferdy had said that he ordered Richard to deal with Yosua after his wife Putri Chandrawathi claimed she had been sexually assaulted by Yosua in Magelang, Central Java, the day prior to Yosua’s murder. But Ferdy said he did not plan the murder beforehand.
Judges concluded on Monday that Ferdy's claim was not backed by convincing evidence. They also questioned why he did not take Putri for a forensic examination for sexual abuse victims to prove the alleged assault despite his experience as a police officer.
