Jakarta. Former police general Ferdy Sambo didn’t deny the accusation that he murdered a low-ranking officer working as his assistant and argued during the opening trial on Monday that the victim had sexually attacked his wife, who is also a defendant in the case. 

Prosecutors said that on July 8 Ferdy ordered another officer to shoot Brigadier Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat multiple times at his official residence in South Jakarta and he himself fired the last bullet to make sure the victim was dead.

Ferdy and his wife Putri Candrawathi were indicted with premeditated murder that carries the death sentence during separate hearings at the South Jakarta District Court.

In response, his defense team said Ferdy was angered by claims that Yosua attempted to strip his wife at a house in the Central Java town of Magelang a day before the murder.

The couple was in Magelang to visit their son who attended Taruna Nusantara High School, but Ferdy already returned to Jakarta when the alleged sexual harassment occurred, according to the defense statement.

Rasamala Aritonang, one of the attorneys for Ferdy, accused prosecutors of largely ignoring the sexual assault claims made by the couple.

Rasamala also denied the allegation that Ferdy fired his gun at Yosua.

“According to his deposition to us, he never shot [Yosua] directly,” the lawyer said.

Prosecutors said Ferdy ordered Second Patrolman Richard Eliezer to shoot Yosua with a Glock-17 pistol after they both arrived from the Magelang trip and he also fired a bullet at the victim’s head.