Jakarta. The husband of renowned singer Bunga Citra Lestari denounced the media on Thursday for discrediting his reputation after he was accused by his former wife of business fraud.

Tiko Aryawardhana is currently under police investigation following a complaint by his first wife, Arina Winarto, alleging he had embezzled Rp 6.9 billion from a food and beverages company they founded before their divorce.

The South Jakarta Police confirmed earlier this week that it had launched a criminal investigation based on the complaint and said Tiko had been interrogated as a witness.

An attorney for Tiko expressed dissatisfaction with the “unfair” media reports on the case.

"Mr. Tiko told us that he had been discredited by media reports on this case, despite our efforts to settle this properly," lawyer Irfan Aghasar said.

Tiko doesn’t want the case to disrupt his relationship with Bunga, whom he married in December last year, the lawyer added.

The lawyer urged the media to cover the case fairly as Tiko is determined to reach a settlement with his former wife.

According to Irfan, Bunga is keeping herself distanced from the legal battle facing her husband.

"Bunga doesn’t want to intervene because the case is Tiko’s personal issue from the past, but she is confident that a proper settlement will be reached,” Irfan said. "As a wife, Bunga fully supports her husband and encourages an out-of-court settlement."

Arina filed a police complaint against Tiko in July 2022, alleging that he had embezzled funds from their company, Arjuna Advaya Sanjaya.

According to Arina’s legal team, she fully funded the company and served as the chief commissioner, while Tiko was appointed director.

During the company's operations between 2015 and 2021, Tiko was granted full authority to run the company and manage its finances.

The criminal investigation began in February, and Tiko could potentially become the main suspect in the case, which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years.