Lawyer Says He Followed Orders

Leonardi’s lawyer says the retired rear admiral did not originate the Defense Ministry satellite deal now at the center of a corruption trial in Jakarta. (en.tempo.co) Tempo published the interview on April 27, after speaking with lawyer Rinto Maha in South Jakarta on April 14. Maha said Leonardi only carried out a contract after the procurement winner had already been chosen. (en.tempo.co) The case concerns the 123 degrees East orbital slot satellite project for 2012-2021. Prosecutors accuse Leonardi of causing Rp306 billion in state losses by signing a procurement contract with Navayo International AG that allegedly broke procurement rules. (en.tempo.co) Leonardi is a former head of the Defense Facilities Agency at Indonesia’s Defense Ministry. At trial, he has asked judges to summon former Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu and former President Joko Widodo. (en.tempo.co) (tempo.co) Maha said Leonardi signed the contract in October 2016 only after seeking approval from Ryamizard and receiving a written disposition. He argued that procurements worth Rp100 billion or more fell under the minister’s authority under Defense Minister Regulation No. 17/2014. (en.tempo.co) That is the core of the defense: Leonardi was the commitment-making official, but not the final decision-maker. His lawyer said responsibility should be shared rather than placed on one echelon I.B. official. (en.tempo.co) Leonardi has also argued that the project began after the previous L-band satellite was no longer in orbit. He said Joko Widodo gave the direction in a December 2015 limited cabinet meeting, and that Ryamizard then passed the order down to the ministry. (tempo.co) On April 17, the panel at Military Court II Jakarta rejected objections from Leonardi and co-defendant Anthony Thomas van der Heyden. The court said the case will continue to the evidence and witness stage. (en.tempo.co) A third defendant, Navayo Chief Executive Officer Gabor Kuti Szilard, is being tried in absentia because prosecutors say they do not know where he is. Leonardi’s side said after the ruling that he should not be the only person held responsible. (en.tempo.co) The case has been in motion since at least May 2025, when Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office named Leonardi a suspect. In August 2025, the South Jakarta District Court rejected his pretrial challenge, saying the military court had jurisdiction because he was still an active officer when the alleged offense occurred. (antaranews.com) For now, Leonardi’s public defense is straightforward: he says he was following a chain of command in a rushed satellite procurement, while prosecutors are pressing ahead with a Rp306 billion corruption case. (en.tempo.co 1) (en.tempo.co 2)