The legal defense team of former Pertamina Patra Niaga CEO Riva Siahaan has filed a defense statement before the Jakarta Corruption Court, challenging the prosecutors’ indictment against their client.

In a Court hearing on Thursday, October 9, 2025, defense lawyers said the indictment, which accuses Riva of causing state losses of Rp193.7 trillion (US$12.4 billion) through fuel import manipulation, was “bombastic and speculative,” and failed to meet the procedures required under Articles 143 and 156 of the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP).

“The indictment cannot yet establish material truth. It should explain how the alleged crime was committed and what motivated the defendant. Without that, it does not meet the legal requirements and must be declared inadmissible,” said the defense statement submitted to the panel of judges on Thursday, October 16, 2025.

The lawyers also criticized what they described as “trial by publicity,” saying that the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) had shaped public perception against Riva through press releases and media coverage before the court proceedings began.

According to the defense, the AGO’s press statement dated February 25, 2025, accused Riva and two other executives Sani Dinar Saifuddin and Agus Purwono of “conditioning the downstream optimization process” to favor brokers in fuel imports and manipulating prices by purchasing RON 90 fuel as if it were RON 92.

The allegations dubbed mixed fuel quickly went viral and triggered public outrage.

During the Court session, Presiding Judge briefly commented that the indictment was “thick,” to which Riva reportedly responded that while he understood the charges, he could not comprehend why his professional actions had been criminalized.

The defense statement is the first major challenge in what is shaping up to be one of Indonesia’s largest corruption trials in the state-owned energy sector. The court is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether to accept or reject the defense’s objection and proceed to the examination of witnesses and evidence.

If the judges accept the defense’s arguments, the indictment could be declared void, forcing prosecutors to revise or refile the charges.