Hotman Paris Apologises After Outburst During Febrie Case Press Conference

Hotman Paris Hutapea, lawyer for former Attorney General for Special Crimes Febrie Adriansyah, has drawn condemnation from various quarters over his remarks at a press conference. Hotman apologised after being criticised by activists, journalists and political parties.

As compiled by detikcom on Monday (20/7/2026), Hotman made the statements that drew criticism at a press conference at the Attorney General’s Office building in South Jakarta on Friday (17/7). An emotional Hotman said ‘do you have a brain’, ‘ask your grandfather’, ‘shut up’ and ‘if you had a brain you’d know the answer’. He also invoked the name of President Prabowo Subianto whilst defending Febrie.

His remarks drew widespread condemnation. Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi asked Hotman Paris not to drag President Prabowo Subianto’s name into the matter, saying the Febrie case is a legal issue.

“We return this to the legal process. Do not link it to the President,” said Prasetyo after a meeting with the leadership of the House of Representatives at the DPR building in Senayan.

Prasetyo said legal cases must be handled according to legal mechanisms, and that questioning an official does not require the President’s permission.

“We fully return this to the applicable legal mechanism. I believe it should go back to the proper procedure. I don’t think there’s any requirement that an examination may only proceed with the President’s permission,” he said.

Gerindra deputy chairman Bambang Haryadi also affirmed that Prabowo has never interfered in the law. Bambang said Prabowo upholds the fairest possible enforcement of the law.

“Gerindra regrets the statement by Hotman Paris linking the case of the former Attorney General for Special Crimes to President Prabowo. This is completely untrue and contradicts President Prabowo’s commitment to eradicating corruption,” said Bambang.

The initiator of the Gerakan Nurani Kebangsaan (GNK), Habib Syakur Ali Mahdi Al Hamid, also criticised Hotman for linking the legal process against Febrie to Prabowo. He said there was no correlation between naming a suspect and the President’s honour or permission.

“Do not drag President Prabowo’s name in to defend a client. There is no correlation between the legal process Febrie Adriansyah is undergoing and the President’s honour. The President’s honour would actually be better preserved if those around him were free of alleged corruption,” Habib Syakur said in his statement.

The Editors-in-Chief Forum also deplored the attitude and manner in which lawyer Hotman Paris responded to journalists’ questions at the Attorney General’s Office. His remarks were deemed demeaning to the journalistic profession.

“Hotman Paris Hutapea’s choice of words and manner in responding to journalists’ questions were highly unprofessional and demeaning to journalists carrying out their mandate under Press Law No. 40 of 1999,” said Retno Pinasti, chair of the Editors-in-Chief Forum.

The central board of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) likewise condemned Hotman Paris’s remarks, which were seen as insulting journalists. The PWI noted that journalists carrying out their journalistic duties are regulated by law.

“Everyone has the right to express an opinion, to answer or decline to answer journalists’ questions. But there is no excuse for demeaning the dignity of journalists carrying out their journalistic duties. Journalists work in the public interest and are protected by the Press Law,” said PWI central chairman Akhmad Munir.

Hotman apologised twice. His first apology concerned his remark ‘do you have a brain’ directed at a journalist.

“A statement of apology from me, Hotman Paris. In connection with the appeal from the Indonesian Journalists Association, PWI, and fellow journalists, I hereby express my sincerest apologies for my remarks at the press conference in the case of the former Attorney General for Special Crimes, when I said ‘do you have a brain?’” Hotman said in a video uploaded to his official Instagram account.

Hotman then explained why he had uttered those words. He said he had been asked the same question several times, and that the remark came out of frustration.

“In the end I got emotional because I kept going back and forth saying I didn’t know, and finally I answered, ‘Do you have a brain?’ What I meant was, I had already answered that I didn’t know,” he said.

He once again apologised to journalists, saying he had no ill intent.

“Setting aside the actual facts of what happened, when both sides were emotional, I still want to express my apology to that journalist and to journalists’ organisations across Indonesia,” he said.

Hotman then uploaded another apology video. This time, he apologised to President Prabowo Subianto, Attorney General ST Burhanuddin, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo and Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Police Chief Commissioner General Asep Edi Suheri for his remarks whilst defending Febrie.

“Hello, Mr President of the Republic of Indonesia. Hello, Mr Attorney General. Hello, Mr National Police Chief. Hello, Mr Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Police Chief. Herewith, Hotman expresses his apologies if there was anything I said or did that caused offence at the press conference after the examination of the suspect, the former Attorney General for Special Crimes, at the Attorney General’s Office on 17 July 2026,” Hotman said in the video.

He said his remarks were an effort to defend Febrie, and that he was merely using his skills as a lawyer.

“Whatever I said was purely from the perspective of legal advocacy. There was no political motive or involvement of any kind. It was purely my skill as a lawyer, whose duty is to try to protect his client legally,” he said.

“Once again, Mr President of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr Attorney General, Mr National Police Chief and Mr Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Police Chief, once again Hotman apologises,” he continued.

Febrie himself has been named a suspect in alleged corruption and money laundering linked to the Asabri case. The case was initially handled by National Police Headquarters before being transferred to the Attorney General’s Office.