Richard Lee Detained After Four Hours of Questioning

Richard Lee was detained by the police after being questioned as a suspect in a case of alleged violations in the health and consumer protection sectors on Friday (6 March). He underwent further questioning as a suspect from 13:00 to 17:00 WIB (Western Indonesia Time), during which investigators posed 29 questions. ‘The suspect DRL was detained at 21:50 WIB at the Metro Jaya Police detention facility,’ Public Relations Head Kombes Budi Hermanto told reporters on Friday (6 March). Budi said Richard first underwent a health examination by Biddokes Polda Metro Jaya before detention. The checks included blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and body temperature, all with normal results and allowing him to carry on with normal activities. ‘Before detention, the suspect’s personal belongings not related to the evidentiary process were entrusted to his legal counsel,’ Budi explained. The case against Richard originated from a report filed by Samira Farahnaz, or doctor detective (doktif), on 2 December 2024 under LP/B/7317/XII/2024/SPKT Polda Metro Jaya. From the results of investigation and inquiry, police named Richard as a suspect in the alleged violations in the health and consumer protection fields. He has held suspect status since 15 December 2025. In this matter, Richard is charged under Article 435 in conjunction with Article 138(2) of Law No. 17 of 2023 on Health, with a penalty of up to 12 years in prison and/or a fine of up to Rp5 billion. He is also charged under Article 62(1) in conjunction with Article 8(1) and/or Article 9(1) of Law No. 8 of 1999 on Consumer Protection, with a penalty of up to five years in prison and/or fines up to Rp2 billion. Following the designation as a suspect, Richard filed a pretrial petition with the South Jakarta District Court, but the petition was rejected. Previously, Metro Jaya Police had also barred Richard Lee from travelling abroad. The travel ban letter was issued on 10 February. ‘The preventive measure—or cekal—was issued from 10 February 2026 to 1 March 2026 for 20 days,’ Budi said at Metro Jaya Police, on Wednesday (11/2).