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Jessica still hopes for Supreme Court acquittal
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Jessica Kumala Wongso (center) is consoled by her lawyers after judges found her guilty of murder at the Central Jakarta Court on Oct. 27, 2016. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
D
espite a recent assignment of Artidjo Alkostar, a Supreme Court judge known for his tendency to heighten prison terms, as a judge in the Supreme Court appeal process for murder convict Jessica Kumala Wongso, the defendant has remained hopeful for an acquittal.
Jessica's defense counsel, Otto Hasibuan, said they were still certain that the district court had delivered a wrongful conviction when they handed down a sentence of 20 years' imprisonment to Jessica for murdering her friend Wayan Mirna Salihin, a case that drew public controversy.
The high court had also made a similar mistake when they affirmed his client’s prison sentence, he said.
“We give the Supreme Court judges our full confidence. We hope that God will help Jessica,” said Otto, adding that he was not concerned that Artidjo would be one of the judges for the cassation process.
On Oct. 27 last year, the Central Jakarta District Court’s judge panel declared Jessica guilty of murdering Mirna. The ruling was controversial because of a lack of evidence from eyewitnesses that could prove Jessica put cyanide into Mirna’s coffee when they shared a table at the Olivier Café in Central Jakarta on Jan. 6.
Judge Partahi Tulus Hutapea said the judges’ decision to use circumstantial evidence to come to a verdict was legitimate because Jessica had ordered the Vietnamese iced coffee and was the only one who had access to the coffee before Mirna drank it. (idb)
