While many are focused on the huge political shakeups gripping Indonesia at the moment, there are also plenty of people who are glued to the ongoing trial of Jessica Kumala Wongso, the defendant in the infamous cyanide coffee murder case.
Jessica stands accused of poisoning her friend, Wayan Mirna Salihin, with cyanide placed in a glass of iced coffee served to her at Cafe Olivier in Grand Indonesia back in January.
The latest twist in the case is a new accusation from Jessica’s lawyer, Otto Hasibuan, which names Mirna’s husband, Arief Sumarko, as the true mastermind behind the poisoning.
During yesterday’s court session, Otto argued that the barista working at Cafe Olivier that day, Rangga Dwi Saputra, had received Rp 140 million from Arief to poison Mirna.
“Rangga admitted that to a doctor when he was checked, he also confirmed that he accepted the transfer from Arief to kill Mirna. Rangga confirmed that and it was there in the police dossier. We’re not making making this up,” Otto said on Wednesday as quoted by Kompas.
After hearing the accusation, one member of the judges’ panel, Binsar Gultom, asked Rangga (who was in the courtroom at the time) point blank about the accusation.
Rangga, of course, vehemently denied the claim and said that he had already reported Otto to the police for defamation over the accusation. He also said that he would have stopped working if he had in fact received the transfer. Arief also denounced the accusation, saying he had never even met Rangga before the trial.
Otto insisted that his information was correct, but if he had any substantive evidence to back up his claim, he has yet to present it in court.
More witnesses from Cafe Oliver are scheduled to testify at today’s court session.
