“When I was detained [as a defendant], he never showed any sympathy for me, even though at the time I was still a public official – a KPK leader. He never visited me in prison,” Antasari said. He was speaking to journalists at his family home in Serpong, South Tangerang, after his release on parole from the Tangerang, Banten, penitentiary on Thursday.

Unlike Yudhoyono, he further said, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who also served as vice president at that time, had always shown sympathy for him.

“Kalla is a real friend to me. He visited me in prison several times. When my daughters got married, he even became a witness at their wedding ceremonies,” Antasari said.

The South Jakarta District Court sentenced Antasari to 18 years in prison in 2010 for masterminding the murder of state-owned pharmaceutical company PT Putra Rajawali Banjaran director Nasrudin Zulkarnaen. Nasrudin was killed in a drive-by shooting in Tangerang on March 14, 2009.

As a KPK leader, Antasari recorded several accomplishments in corruption eradication efforts. Under his leadership, the KPK prosecuted former Bank Indonesia deputy governor Aulia Pohan, to whom Yudhoyono was related through marriage. Pohan was convicted in a bribery case related to the Bank Century bailout.

Yudhoyono removed Antasari from his post at the KPK after the latter was convicted of murder. Antasari was released on parole after serving his sentence for seven-and-a-half years. (ebf)

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