Waiting For The Lawsuit Of Ferdy Sambo's Wife, Putri Candrawathi

The trial of the examination process against the defendant Putri Candrawathi is over, the agenda for the next trial is to read the lawsuit by the Public Prosecutor. (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)

JAKARTA – In her confession at trial on January 11, 2023, the defendant Putri Candrawathi never understood what wrong she had done so that she could sit in a prison chair. In fact, she was the victim of sexual violence.

“To this day I don't know where I went wrong. I didn't kill anyone," Putri said during the trial for the murder of Brigadier Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat at the South Jakarta District Court on January 11.

When the shooting incident occurred, Putri Candrawathi admitted that she was resting in the room. She didn't even know that her husband, Ferdy Sambo, had also come to Duren Tiga, the house where the incident took place.

"It feels like rubbing salt into the wound. I am a victim of sexual violence with threats and abuse from Joshua. Instead, I have to be made a suspect in this case,” said the defendant Putri Candrawathi, sobbing.

Putri hopes that there is a best way so that she can be reunited with her children. I'm sorry I can't be there at this time, "I can't accompany the beautiful moments for a while, because I'm still in the detention center, but I pray that I will always be protected by God Almighty."

Putri Candrawathi and her husband, Ferdy Sambo, while undergoing reconstruction for the murder of Brigadier J on August 30, 2022. (Antara/Asprilla Dwi Adha)

"I am entrusting the children, I beg for the news out there, I beg you not to display negative assumptions towards me and also towards my husband. After all, I have a family, I also have children where they are still in their infancy," said Putri.

The trial process of examining the defendant Putri Candrawathi has been completed. The trial agenda continues with the reading of the requisitoir or lawsuit by the public prosecutor next week.

A criminal law expert from Trisakti University, Abdul Fickar Hadjar, is of the opinion that the public prosecutor will not pay too much attention to the incident of sexual harassment that Putri experienced.

Because, in the facts of the trial, said Fickar, there were no supporting witnesses, no experts who could provide corroborating statements, and no letters as proof of the post mortem results. So, Putri Candrawathi's statement only stands alone.

“The saying goes, one witness is not a witness, because only one person stated sexual harassment without being supported by other evidence, so it doesn't mean anything. He will have no effect, the judge will of course consider that," Fickar told VOI, Thursday (12/1).

"If it is true that there was sexual harassment, there is a post mortem examination, there are efforts to prove it, then that can be a mitigating reason. But it's not, the police just stopped the sexual harassment cases they had reported. This will also be burdensome later. This includes being burdensome for Ferdy Sambo, in my opinion, one series," he continued.

Similar to the contents of the indictment

Fickar believes that the prosecutor's conclusion is broadly the same as the contents of the indictment that Putri Candrawathi participated in the attempted premeditated murder of Yosua.

"After examining several witnesses, the prosecutor did not add any more witnesses. This means that the prosecutor is sure that it has been proven that it was planned. Planning was seen when Ferdy Sambo ordered the first person, Ricky, who didn't want to, then replaced with Eliezer, which meant that there was already a plan. This has been proven,” said Fickar.

So, according to Fickar, the prosecutor will charge Putri Candrawathi with the maximum sentence. Likewise with Ferdy Sambo.

Even so, you still have to pay attention and consider evidence. A person who has violated the criminal provisions must receive a punishment commensurate with his guilt.

Likewise, for the interests of the accused, it must be treated fairly so that no one who is innocent gets punished. On the other hand, if someone is guilty, they should not be punished too severely. Punishment must be commensurate or balanced with the mistake.

Defendant Putri Candrawathi (center) during trial. (VOI/Irfan Meidianto)

The contents of a lawsuit usually contain the conclusion of the public prosecutor based on the evidentiary process, namely whether the provisions or articles charged against the defendant are proven or not.

"If it is proven, it has been stated how long the sentence that can be imposed on the defendant, but conversely if it is not proven then the public prosecutor can immediately request that the defendant be acquitted of all punishments," wrote Andi Muhammad Sofyan and colleagues in the book ‘Hukum Acara Pidana Edisi Ketiga’.

The public prosecutor previously charged Putri with Article 340 subsidiary 338 Jo. Articles 55 and 56 of the Criminal Code carry a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment.