Prosecutors seek death sentence for Antasari

Prosecutors in the trial of former antigraft chief Antasari Azhar sought Tuesday the death sentence for the man accused of murdering state pharmaceutical company executive Nasruddin Zulkarnaen.

Prosecutor Cirus Sinaga alleged that Antasari had conspired with others to murder Nasruddin on March 14, 2009.

He also accused the defendant of having slowed the course of the trial and trying to distract the public’s attention, an act that prosecutors said had humiliated law enforcement agencies.

Prosecutors insist the murder centered on a love triangle involving the two men and Nasruddin’s third wife, Rhani Juliani, and Nasruddin’s blackmailing of the defendant.

The South Jakarta District Court has adjourned the trial until next week to hear Antasari’s defense argument.