MA Grants Appeal to Lawyer Against the Saudi Arabian Embassy, Dispute over Payment of Legal Fees Reversed

JAKARTA - The Supreme Court (MA) granted a cassation application filed by lawyer Noverizky Tri Putra in a civil dispute against the Saudi Arabian Embassy regarding the payment of legal fees.

The ruling reversed the High Court's decision and reopened the possibility of executing the payment rights that had previously been disputed.

Noverizky said his party is still waiting for an official copy of the cassation decision to find out the legal considerations of the panel of judges before determining the next legal steps.

"We are grateful that the Supreme Court has granted the cassation petition we filed. Currently, we are waiting for a copy of the decision as a basis for further legal steps," said Noverizky.

The dispute began from a cooperation in 2018 when Noverizky was appointed through a letter of assignment to provide legal assistance to a Saudi citizen who was facing criminal cases in Indonesia.

According to him, all the work has been completed according to the assignment. However, the payment of legal fees and the reimbursement of operational costs incurred using personal funds has not been fulfilled by the Saudi Embassy.

The dispute was then brought to the South Jakarta District Court through Case Number 297/Pdt.G/2023/PN Jkt.Sel.

In the first-instance ruling, the South Jakarta PN granted part of the plaintiff's lawsuit through a verdict after stating that the Saudi Arabian Embassy and the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been duly summoned but did not attend the trial.

The panel of judges at that time stated that the legal relationship between Noverizky and the Saudi Embassy based on the letter of appointment dated November 9, 2018 and the accompanying power of attorney was valid and binding according to Indonesian law.

The court also considered that the action of not returning the costs that the plaintiff had spent using personal funds was an act against the law.

Through the ruling, the South Jakarta District Court sentenced the Saudi Embassy to pay Noverizky Rp375 million in material compensation and ordered the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to comply with the court's decision.

The verdict was then changed at the appeal level. Not accepting the result, Noverizky appealed to the Supreme Court which has now been granted.

For Noverizky, the cassation ruling provides legal certainty for the dispute that has been going on for several years.

Previously, the South Jakarta PN had also issued a warning or warning in the execution case Number 10/PDT.EKS/2025 jo Number 297/Pdt.G/2023/PN Jkt.Sel.

Aanmaning is a stage in the execution process of a decision that contains a warning to the losing party to voluntarily implement the decision.

Noverizky's lawyer, Aflah Abdurrahim, together with the AM team of Oktarina Counsellor at Law assessed that this step shows that the dispute on commercial nature remains subject to the Indonesian legal mechanism, including when involving representatives of foreign countries.

According to him, the Supreme Court's cassation decision is also an important signal for certainty in the enforcement of contracts and payment obligations in legal relations of civil law.

Noverizky hopes that the case can become a precedent that diplomatic relations do not remove legal obligations in transactions or commercial relations.

"I hope that no other advocates in Indonesia will experience similar things. This case proves that in commercial matters, no party is immune from Indonesian law," he said.

Until this news was written, the Embassy of Saudi Arabia and the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have not responded to the cassation decision. The Noverizky party stated that it was still waiting for an official copy of the Supreme Court's decision before taking the next legal steps.