Mariel Grazella, Jakarta – Antasari Azhar presented new evidence supporting his case review request to the South Jakarta District Court on Tuesday, hoping to overturn his conviction for murder.
The former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment in February 2010 for masterminding the slaying of PT Putra Rajawali Banjaran director Nasruddin Zulkarnain, who was shot dead by hit men in his car.
According to Maqdir Ismail, Antasari's attorney, the hearing focused on the presentation of three new pieces of evidence that might prove his client's innocence, including 28 photos of the victim and his car after the shooting.
"Upon observing the photos of the victim's car, it is noticeable that the victim's bullet wounds do not match the gunshot holes in the car," he told The Jakarta Post.
He added that the holes in the car were consistent with a vertical bullet trajectory while the victim's wounds were horizontal.
Maqdir said that judges in the original case ignored evidence that might have exculpated Antasari, including Nasruddin's shirt. "The shirt is important to determine if the deceased was shot at point-blank range or from afar," he said.
The Judicial Commission issued its findings on the handling of Antasari's original trial on Aug. 19, stating that the panel of judges had acted unprofessionally and violated judicial ethics by ignoring forensic evidence. The commission recommended that the Supreme Court sanction to the judges with a six-month suspension from duty.
Maqdir, calling the trial "a moment of truth", said that he was positive the case review request would be approved. "The court, in this case the Supreme Court's case review council, must make a just and fair decision. If they do not, the public will no longer believe in them," he said.
Critics claim Antasari was framed to weaken the KPK, which had launched several investigations of top officials including graft convict and former Bank Indonesia deputy governor Aulia Pohan, the father-in-law of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's son.
Similarly, Nasruddin's brother Andi Syamsudin, who was present during the hearing, said that he supported the case review, agreeing with the oddities and new evidence raised in court.
On expert pathologist Abdul Munim Idries's evaluation of the autopsy, Syamsudin said: "The facts on the ground indicate that [Nasruddin's] corpse was manipulated."
The family supported the case review to seek truth and justice for all involved in the case, including Antasarim, Syamsudin said. "I do this to get justice for my brother," he added.
The South Jakarta District Court will forward the results of its case review to the Supreme Court.