Former KPK Investigator Questions Why Hotman Paris Was Given 'Special Space' for Press Conference by Prosecutor's Office
Former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator Yudi Purnomo has stated that the controversy surrounding lawyer Hotman Paris’s statements during a press conference is inseparable from the fact that the celebrity lawyer was given a platform by the prosecutor’s office. Hotman was provided with a room for a press conference, rather than the usual doorstop interview format.
According to Yudi, this is deeply concerning given the progressive development of the investigation, which has already named Febrie as a suspect. ‘It feels like a suspect’s lawyer has never been given the facility to hold a press conference with a microphone and table provided,’ Yudi said in a statement on Monday (20/7/2026).
Yudi argued that providing a special space for Hotman is a stain on public trust, as many people still do not believe the prosecutor’s office is capable of investigating the case involving Febrie themselves. ‘There might still be loyalists of Febrie involved in providing that press conference facility,’ he said.
For this reason, Yudi stated that the Attorney General must deploy a team to investigate who the mastermind was behind providing the press conference facility for Hotman Paris and his team. He said this is not in accordance with the principle of justice, especially since they are lawyers for a corruption suspect. ‘Such an incident must not happen again.’
He therefore urged that a clean-up of the prosecutor’s office from Febrie’s supporters must be carried out immediately if the institution still wants to gain public trust in investigating corruption cases related to coal supply to steam power plants (PLTU), Krakatau Steel, and Asabri.
There has been no response from the Prosecutor’s Office regarding Yudi’s statement, nor from Hotman Paris’s side as Febrie’s lawyer. Previously, during the press conference, Hotman made a series of controversial statements, including invoking the name of President Prabowo, who he claimed was not informed by the police when Febrie was named a suspect. Hotman was also perceived to have belittled journalists during the press conference.