D

isgraced former Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum appeared in court on Monday to testify as witness in a pre-trial hearing of former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) head Antasari Azhar, during which he defended the murder convict.

Anas, who stepped down from his position in February due to his alleged involvement in the graft-ridden Hambalang sports complex case, said that Antasari may have been the victim of a miscarriage of justice surrounding the 2009 murder of businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen.

'I am willing to testify because I sympathize with Pak Antasari, who is seeking justice. Looking at his trial, I noticed there were things that indicated that Pak Antasari was victimized,' he said shortly before the hearing.

Antasari filed a pre-trial motion against the National Police for halting their investigation into a mysterious text message allegedly sent by him to Nasrudin containing threats.

During the initial trial, the text message was used by the judges as one of the reasons for sentencing Antasari to 18 years' imprisonment.

Anas, who was a friend of Nasrudin's, claimed that the latter never told him about any threatening text message. 'The last time we met was at a factory outlet [discount clothing store] in Bandung. We chatted for about five to seven minutes [...] There was no discussion about that [the alleged threat]. Our meeting took place two days before his murder,' Anas said on the stand.

Anas also said that Nasrudin did not show any indication that he was under threat.

'During the meeting, there was just the two of us. I am not sure whether he had personal body guards or not,' he said.

Anas said that he first got to know Nasrudin two years before the murder. He claimed that Nasrudin was only a casual friend.

Antasari said that he expected the judges to take Anas' testimony into consideration.

'At least he can provide details about the threat. It would have been natural for him [Nasrudin] to have said 'I was threatened by Antasari' if he really received the text message,' Antasari said.

Anas fell from grace after the KPK accused him of receiving a gratuity from the construction firm that won the tender for the Hambalang project while serving as a lawmaker in 2009.

Once deemed one of the country's most promising young politicians, Anas has continually denied the allegation. However, most Democratic politicians perceive Anas' graft allegation as having damaged the party's popularity ahead of the 2014 general election.

The pressure following the accusation forced Anas to resign on Feb. 23, a day after the KPK named him a suspect.

Antasari, meanwhile, has exhausted almost all available legal avenues to gain his freedom.

In 2010, the Jakarta District Court sentenced Antasari to 18 years in prison for orchestrating the 2009 murder of Nasrudin, the former director of PT Putra Rajawali Banjaran, who was killed on his way home from the Taman Modern golf course.

The verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court a few months later. Antasari then attempted to overturn the Supreme Court's ruling by filing a case review of his murder trial in February last year, but to no avail.

Antasari has also filed a judicial review, calling on the Constitutional Court to annul Article 268 Paragraph 3 of the Criminal Law Procedures Code (KUHAP), a move that could allow for a second review of the Nasrudin Zulkarnaen murder case.

The article stipulates that a case review of a ruling can only be conducted once.