Absen di Sidang Praperadilan, Kuasa Hukum Richard Lee Optimistis Menang

JAKARTA - Beauty doctor Richard Lee did not attend the first pretrial hearing held at the South Jakarta District Court (PN) on Monday, February 2.

Even though the doctor was absent, the legal team came with full readiness and high optimism in facing this legal process.

The trial was relatively short, where the first agenda did not touch on the main matter, but still focused on the administrative verification stage.

Jefry Simatupang as Richard Lee's lawyer explained that the process in the courtroom was only about the legality of the lawyers who accompanied him, to ensure that all legal procedures were met.

"The first agenda is only a formal examination. Power of attorney, oath minutes, lawyer membership card. That's all that was examined," said Jefry Simatupang when met by the media after the trial.

Jefry also provided an explanation regarding Richard Lee's absence. According to him, legally, the applicant in the pretrial case does not have an absolute obligation to be physically present as long as he has given a mandate to the legal team.

He emphasized that the presence of the legal team already represented his client's legitimate interests in the eyes of the law.

"It doesn't have to come. In the pretrial, the lawyer is enough to represent," said Jefry to dispel public speculation regarding his client's absence.

On the other hand, the legal team also expressed appreciation to the Polda Metro Jaya party as the respondent who attended the trial cooperatively.

The presence of police representatives is considered a form of respect for the rights of citizens in testing the legal procedures that are underway. Jefry assessed that transparency and compliance by all parties would facilitate the judicial process.

"We appreciate the Metro Jaya Police for respecting our rights. We also respect the legal process that is underway," he added.

The pre-trial lawsuit was filed by Richard Lee in response to his designation as a suspect in the case of alleged violations of consumer rights protection and the Health Law.

The doctor felt that there were procedures that needed to be tested for validity in the process of determining the legal status by the police investigator.

Even though the trial has just begun, Jefry believes that the arguments for the application they have submitted have a strong foundation. Even so, he still emphasized that his team would still follow the course of the trial and submit all final decisions to the panel of judges who are leading the case.

"We are optimistic, but we all return to the judge who examines this case," concluded Jefry.