Defence Lawyers File Request for Copy of Verdict in Riva Siahaan Corruption Case
The legal team representing three former Pertamina executives — Riva Siahaan, Maya Kusmaya, and Edward Corne — convicted in a crude oil corruption case has submitted a request for a copy of the verdict to the Central Jakarta District Court. This action was taken because the defence team has not received the physical court document despite the verdict being read in court more than two weeks ago.
The defence team’s spokesperson, Pahrur Dalimunthe, questioned the reason for this delay. He expressed suspicion about irregularities in the judge’s reasoning process.
“What is this about? So what was read out in court last time — was that the verdict? Or was it decided first and then the reasoning drafted afterwards?” Pahrur stated in his remarks on Thursday, 12 March 2026.
Pahrur added that a verdict not provided more than two weeks after being read raises serious questions. According to him, the trial proceedings through audio recordings had already demonstrated that the defendants were not guilty, lacked criminal intent (mens rea), and did not receive any of the diverted funds — facts that were also acknowledged by the prosecution in its charges.
“Perhaps the panel is struggling to find arguments because the facts from the recordings clearly demonstrate that these defendants are not guilty, there were no violations, no criminal intent, and they did not benefit whatsoever,” he elaborated.
Lead counsel Jeffry Andrea Suryatin stated in his letter that the copy of the verdict was essential for drafting the appeal memorandum as the next legal step. Under Article 226 paragraph (2) of the Indonesian Criminal Procedure Code read together with Article 277 paragraph (2) of Law Number 20 of 2025 concerning the Indonesian Criminal Procedure Code, a copy of the verdict must be provided to the defendant or their lawyer upon request.
“To date, neither we nor our clients have received a Copy of the Verdict in Corruption Crime Case Number 96/Pid.Sus-TPK/2025/PN Jkt.Pst,” wrote Jeffry in his petition letter.
Case Background
Previously, the corruption court panel at the Central Jakarta Corruption Court had handed down verdicts on Thursday, 26 February 2026. Former Director of PT Pertamina Patra Niaga, Riva Siahaan, was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rp1 billion with an alternative of 190 days’ detention.
Two other defendants, Maya Kusmaya (former Director of Central and Commercial Marketing) and Edward Corne (former Vice President of Trading Operations), also received verdicts in the crude oil governance corruption case covering the 2018–2023 period.
The three defendants officially filed an appeal on 4 March 2026, arguing that the judge’s reasoning did not align with the facts presented at trial. The defence team claimed that the defendants’ actions actually delivered USD 24 million in efficiency gains for Pertamina and generated the company’s largest profits during the 2022–2023 period.
Additionally, one panel judge issued a dissenting opinion stating there was no state loss or unlawful conduct in the defendants’ actions.