Ex-Indonesia top cop sentenced to death for premeditated murder

Jakarta, Feb 13 (IANS) An Indonesian court on Monday sentenced former police general Ferdy Sambo to death for the premeditated murder of his own aide Joshua Nopryansyah Hutabarat.

“The defendant Ferdy Sambo has been proven legally and convincingly guilty of committing the criminal act of participating in a premeditated murder,” Judge Wahyu Iman Santoso said at the South Jakarta district court, Xinhua news agency reported.

The sentence was much harsher than a life imprisonment demanded by the prosecutor.

The former National Police internal affairs chief said the murder was his emotional reaction to Hutabarat raping his wife, but the judge determined there was not enough evidence to support this claim.

Sambo’s wife, Putri Candrawathi, received 20-year prison term for her involvement in the murder.

The case has attracted wide attention with international media coverage and local TVs live streaming the months long hearing.

–IANS

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