Questioned as Suspect in Health Case, Richard Lee Not Detained
Police did not detain Richard Lee after completing his questioning as a suspect in an alleged health and consumer protection violation case on Thursday (19 February).
During the examination, Richard was asked 35 questions by investigators. The questioning ran from 10:40 AM to 7:00 PM Western Indonesian Time.
“The suspect DRL was not detained and has been placed under a reporting obligation. Furthermore, the investigation process continues to be conducted professionally and proportionally,” said Jakarta Metropolitan Police Public Relations Chief Commissioner Budi Hermanto to reporters on Friday (20 February).
Budi explained that the decision was taken in accordance with prevailing legal provisions, including Article 100 paragraph (5) of Law Number 20 of 2025 on the Criminal Procedure Code.
Budi stated that investigators are currently completing Richard’s case file for subsequent transfer to the Public Prosecutor.
“DRL’s case continues to proceed despite the absence of detention. Investigators will complete the case file and promptly submit it to the Public Prosecutor to finalise the investigation process that has already commenced. We ensure that the entire process is conducted in accordance with prevailing regulations,” he said.
Budi further affirmed that the public may monitor the investigation process as part of law enforcement transparency.
“We are open to public oversight. The handling of this case is carried out professionally, transparently, and accountably,” he said.
The case involving Richard originated from a report filed by Samira Farahnaz, also known as the “detective doctor” (doktif), on 2 December 2024 under report number LP/B/7317/XII/2024/SPKT Jakarta Metropolitan Police.
Based on the results of the preliminary and full investigations, police subsequently named Richard as a suspect in an alleged health and consumer protection violation. He has held suspect status since 15 December 2025.
In this case, Richard has been charged under Article 435 in conjunction with Article 138 paragraph 2 of Law Number 17 of 2023 on Health, which carries a maximum sentence of 12 years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of up to Rp5 billion.
Additionally, Richard has been charged under Article 62 paragraph 1 in conjunction with Article 8 paragraph 1 and/or Article 9 paragraph 1 of Law Number 8 of 1999 on Consumer Protection, which carries a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of up to Rp2 billion.
Following his designation as a suspect, Richard filed a pretrial challenge at the South Jakarta District Court. However, the challenge was rejected.
Jakarta Metropolitan Police have also imposed a travel ban on Richard Lee. The ban was issued on 10 February.
“The prevention and deterrence order, commonly known as a travel ban, has been in effect from 10 February 2026 until 1 March 2026, for the next 20 days,” said Budi at Jakarta Metropolitan Police headquarters on Wednesday (11 February).