Former Police General Sambo Sentenced to Death, Wife Got 20 Years, After A Murder Conspiracy

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - Former Police Inspector General Ferdy Sambo (50) received death sentence from the judge for his role in masterminding a murder of a young policeman, Joshua Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat (27). Ferdy Sambo shot his junior at his house in South Jakarta on 8 July 2022. 

The Sambo case has incited a strong wave of criticism from the Indonesian netizens toward the police institution.

The judge decided to give death penalty on Monday (13/2/2023), a higher punishment than the life imprisonment which the prosecutor demanded.

The case puzzled the public because Sambo and his wife tried to distort the facts of the murder. Yosua was also accused of sexual harassment and attempted to shoot Sambo.

Before the murder, Sambo asked his subordinate Ricky Rizal to help with the killing, but the latter refused. Sambo then asked another young police: Richard Eliezer (24). And Richard was willing to help Sambo killing Yosua.

Sambo's wife, Putri Candrawathi (49), also enriched the plot after claiming she was harassed by Yosua. But the court found that her claim was baseless. The prosecutor said that Putri was cheating with Yosua. 

Later, Sambo confessed that he believed Putri's words about the harassment, because he could not fathom why his wife would lie. 

Richard Eliezer also eventually admitted the true story behind the murder. There was also no gun fight in the house, and it was Sambo who shot the wall to create an impression of a fight.

On the same day, the court also punished Putri Candrawati with 20 years in prison. The punishment is eight years longer than what prosecutor wanted

The judge said that Putri was making the trial difficult by giving long-winded explanations and also playing victim.

Moreover, her behavior was said to be damaging the reputation of Bhayangkari (the wives of policemen).

The mother of Yosua, Rosti Simanjuntak, expressed satisfaction at the death sentence for Sambo. She said the verdict was a "victory for all Indonesian people".

"Our family is very thankful for the judge and those who support us," said Rosti Simanjuntak who was also present in the South Jakarta's court.

Rosti also rejected the harassment accusation from Putri Candrawathi toward her son. She called Putri as a "devil woman".

Richard Eleizer will be sentenced on Wednesday.