Status of Suspect Piche Kota Declared Invalid, Now Undergoing Legal Process as a Witness

Kapanlagi.com - The panel of judges at the District Court granted the pretrial motion submitted by the legal team of Petrus Yohannes Debrito Armando Jaga Kota alias Piche Kota. This ruling invalidated the suspect status previously assigned to the Top 6 contestant of Indonesian Idol 2025 in the alleged rape case in Belu Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

Piche Kota's attorney, Cosmas Jo Oko, explained that his client is now a witness in the case. According to him, the pretrial ruling annulled the suspect designation that had previously been made against Piche.

"Remember, as a witness, not a suspect in this case," said Cosmas Jo Oko during a virtual press conference on Thursday (16/07/2026).

Cosmas explained that the case has been split into several files. Initially, Piche and Dele along with two others were designated as suspects. However, the legal team submitted a pretrial motion that was ultimately granted in full by the panel of judges.

"This Piche case has been split. There are two; initially, Piche and Dele were made suspects along with two of their friends, so there are three cases split. Therefore, in this case, as the legal team, we have submitted a pretrial motion that was granted in all our requests," said Cosmas.

1. Find Administrative Procedure Defects

In its decision, the judge assessed that there were administrative issues in the investigation process. One of the considerations was the determination of the suspect made before the issuance of the investigation warrant.

"The judge granted all of our application arguments because indeed from the beginning there has been an anomaly in this legal process. There is a defect in the administrative procedure, there is what, yes, in this case, the determination of the suspect preceded the investigation warrant," said Cosmas Jo Oko.

2. Remain Cooperative

Although his suspect status has been dropped, Piche continues to undergo legal proceedings as a witness and remains cooperative in following the examination. The legal team along with the management of Star Media Nusantara is also continuously accompanying the process.

"We have been waiting here from 11 AM until now still waiting for one more witness and lastly maybe Piche Kota will be examined as a witness," he concluded.

(kpl/far/ums)