Antasari ‘framed’

Jakarta ; High-ranking police officers ordered a senior officer to take part in a conspiracy to frame top antigraft official Antasari Azhar for murder, a key witness testified Tuesday.

“The dossier containing my testimony was arranged by the police,” Sr. Comr. Williardi Wizard said in his testimony at former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Antasari's trial at the South Jakarta District Court.

“I agreed with the content [of the dossier] after some high-ranking police officers approached me
about it.”

Williardi alleged that at midnight several days after the murder of businessman Nasruddin Zulkarnaen, a director of state pharmaceutical company PT Putra Rajawali Banjaran, the National Police's Brig. Gen. Irawan Dahlan picked him up at his home and took him to the Jakarta Police headquarters.

There, he was met by former National Police deputy chief detective Insp. Gen. Hadiatmoko, he went on, and was told to make a “necessary” dossier.

“Just do your best so that we can [use the dossier to] frame Antasari and you'll be free to go by tomorrow,” Williardi said, quoting Hadiatmoko.

He added the Jakarta Police's chief and deputy chief detectives were also present at the meeting.
“They said their target was only Antasari Azhar,” he said.

“The chief detective told me to sign a prepared statement similar to that signed by Sigid Haryo Wibisono [another suspect in Nasruddin's murder] because that was the instruction from a superior officer.”

Asked by Antasari's lawyers who the superior officer was, Williardi said, “The National Police chief.”
Antasari is on trial for masterminding the murder of Nasruddin, killed in a drive-by shooting in Tangerang in March.

“They said the National Police superior officers would guarantee everything and I would only face disciplinary action,” Williardi told the court.

At a hearing Monday in his trial at the Tangerang District Court, Williardi said South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Chairul Anwar was the one who had planned the murder.

“It was a state duty. The shooters and the kill order came from Chairul, having been issued directly by the National Police chief,” he said as quoted by Antara.

His testimony is the latest slap in the face for the police force, which has been widely lambasted for not dropping bribery, extortion and abuse of power charges leveled against suspended KPK deputies Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah, and for not arresting Anggodo Widjojo, the central figure in the alleged framing of both KPK deputies.

In their indictment of Antasari, prosecutors alleged the former antigraft chief had been having an affair with Nasruddin's third wife, golf caddie Rhani Juliani. They claimed Nasrudin had found out and later hounded Antasari’s family about the affair, which they said triggered Antasari to have Nasruddin killed, with assistance from media tycoon Sigid Haryo Wibisono, who provided the funding, and Williardi, the former South Jakarta Police chief, who recruited the hit men.

Sigid and Williardi are being tried separately in the case.

Upon hearing Williardi's testimony in Jakarta, an emotional Antasari covered his face with his hands and said, “God doesn't sleep ... The truth is finally revealed.”

Defense lawyer Juniver Girsang said the team would move for Antasari to be removed from custody.
“Williardi’s testimony is yet more proof that this case was plotted to frame Pak Antasari,” he said.