The ongoing trial of celebrity Nikita Mirzani, charged with extortion and money laundering, has sparked public debate after her bank records were disclosed in court for the sake of clarity and law enforcement.

During a hearing at the South Jakarta District Court on Thursday, August 14, 2025, representatives from Bank Central Asia (BCA) testified by presenting Mirzani’s account mutation data. The move drew protests from the defendant, who said she felt her rights as a priority customer had been violated.

“I am very disappointed because my account statements were exposed without my permission. As a priority customer, I never expected my personal banking details to be opened up like this,” Mirzani told reporters after the session.

Legal experts, however, stressed that Indonesian law explicitly allows such disclosures when requested by law enforcement.

Former Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) chief Yunus Husein cited that banks are legally obliged to disclose client information when it involves a criminal investigation, particularly under the Anti-Money Laundering Law (Law No. 8/2010).

“Article 72 of the Anti-Money Laundering Law provides the legal basis for law enforcement to request banking data. Banks are also given immunity from civil or criminal charges for complying with such requests,” Yunus said on Saturday, August 16, 2025.

He added that banking secrecy is not absolute when weighed against the greater public interest of law enforcement. “The philosophy is that the public interest in upholding the law must take precedence over individual privacy,” he said.

Separately, legal scholar Hibnu Nugroho of the Jenderal Soedirman University echoed the view, saying that account disclosures are part of lawful coercive measures. “Law enforcement does not need approval from the suspect or defendant. What is required is authorization from the relevant judicial institution,” he said.

The court is scheduled to continue hearings next week as prosecutors build their case against Mirzani.