Tangerang. Former antigraft agency chairman Antasari Azhar has been officially released on parole from Tangerang Prison in Banten on Thursday morning (10/11) after serving two-thirds of his 18 year jail term for the murder of a businessman.

Antasari, who served as chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) from 2007 to 2009, was released after seven and a half years, with four and a half years commuted.

Antasari's wife, Ida Laksmiwati, and their family welcomed the convict at Tangerang Prison when he was released at 10 a.m.

He started his press conference shouting "Merdeka!" ("Freedom!"), before saying he is happy to see his family again, including a granddaughter born while he was imprisoned.

“I was willing to serve the prison term because of the court's ruling that said I must serve it. It is not because I admit what prosecutors had accused me of, but because I respected the ruling. As a law enforcer, I obeyed the ruling,” he said.

Antasari, 63, said he had forgiven those who jailed him.

The case against him had been criticized for weak evidence and testimony but he was nonetheless found guilty of ordering the murder of Nasrudin Zulkarnaen, head of a state-owned pharmaceutical firm, in 2009.

Nasrudin has reportedly attempted to blackmail Antasari over his alleged extramarital affair with a female golf caddy.

Antasari, who surprised many when the House of Representatives picked him as the country's anti-corruption czar in 2008 due to his checkered record as a public prosecutor, was sentenced on Feb. 11, 2010.

While serving at the KPK, Antasari and his team investigate several high profile cases involving powerful people, including government officials and members of the ruling party. Many, including Nasrudin's brother Andi Samsudin, have suggested Antasari is the victim of conspiracy.