Before the TaniHub Case, Nicko Widjaja Had Realized a Profit of Rp815 Million for SOEs

JAKARTA - The reading of the plea (pleidoi) hearing of the former President Director of BRI Ventures Investment (BVI) Nicko Widjaja highlights the lack of elements of evil intent (mens rea) and self-enrichment in the TaniHub Group investment case.

According to Nicko, the facts revealed during the trial show that the investment decision was made according to procedures and without any personal benefits received.

"There was no personal meeting, personal agreement, flow of funds, or personal profit. All witnesses from the TaniHub Group who were presented by the Public Prosecutor in this trial also stated that they had never met or interacted with me in the context of personal interests," said Nicko.

Previously, the public prosecutor demanded Nicko Widjaja 11 years in prison and a fine of Rp1 billion because he was considered negligent, resulting in state losses in the BVI investment to the TaniHub Group.

Nicko emphasized that the investment to TaniHub was not a decision that came from personal will.

The investment decision has gone through a corporate governance process involving various corporate organs, including the investment committee, the board of commissioners, and the mentor director.

He also said that TaniHub had been on the company's investment shortlist even before he took office at BVI.

"In this case I was charged with negligence, but the facts of the trial showed the opposite. The investment in TaniHub did not appear suddenly from my personal will or anyone else. Before I served in BVI, TaniHub Group had been on the radar and the investment shortlist of the company," he said.

In his plea, Nicko also touched on his professional track record during his career in the venture capital industry.

He said that every investment decision taken is always based on the principles of prudence, good corporate governance, and measured risk management.

According to Nicko, before the TaniHub case surfaced, a number of investments managed by him had generated real profits (realized profit) for BVI.

The profit value reached around USD 48 million or around Rp815 billion.

"I convey this not to boast of myself. But in my work I always apply the principle of caution," he said.

Nicko also conveyed his personal reflections on the journey of his career and the values he has held so far.

As a lecturer, he admitted that he always encouraged his students to build something of value and avoid shortcuts in achieving success.

"For years I have taught students at the campus. I always tell them not to look for shortcuts, to be a generation that creates value, not just enjoy the results of the previous generation," he said.

In an emotional tone, Nicko admitted that the case he faced taught him a bitter lesson about the risks that must be borne when trying to build something that is not yet perfect.

"Today I learned that being an idealist and trying to build something that is not perfect turns out to have a very sad risk," he said.