JAKARTA: The South Jakarta Police are investigating an alleged embezzlement case involving Tiko Aryawardhana (pic right), the husband of Indonesian singer and actress Bunga Citra Lestari (pic left).
South Jakarta Police chief detective Adj. Sr. Comr. Bintoro said that the police had already interviewed five witnesses related to the case. On top of that, an additional audit was conducted regarding the losses suffered by the victims.
"Currently, the audit results we included in the police report amounted to Rp 6.9 billion [US$4.2 million], but according to a later external audit, it did not reach that amount,” Bintoro said as reported by cnnindonesia.com on Tuesday (June 4).
“We will convey the details in the upcoming release."
Bintoro also confirmed that Tiko, who had been questioned during the initial stage of the investigation, would be re-examined as the case progresses.
The case came to light following a report filed by AW, Tiko’s ex-wife, who accused him of embezzlement starting in 2015 up until 2021.
According to AW’s lawyer, Leo Siregar, the alleged embezzlement took place when AW and Tiko co-owned a company named PT Arjuna Advaya Sanjaya (AAS). According to Leo, AW refrained from being involved in the company’s financial affairs, which left Tiko with unchecked authority over the company.
"Our client thought that the business was going well, but in 2019, Tiko announced the business would close due to an inability to pay rent. This seemed suspicious," Leo said, as quoted by cnnindonesia.com.
In 2021, AW discovered two dubious profit and loss statements. Following that, she commissioned an independent audit, which revealed unexplained fund allocations totalling Rp 6.9 billion.
“Given the lack of good faith from the concerned party in providing clarification or an explanation, our client felt compelled to report this incident to the police," Leo concluded.
In regard to Tiko’s actions, the lawyer referenced Article 374 of the Criminal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
