Jakarta. Celebrity lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea has stepped down as legal counsel for former Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes Febrie Adriansyah, saying he needs to focus on recovering from spinal surgery.

Hotman said on Thursday that he informed Febrie of his decision two days earlier, explaining that doctors had instructed him to avoid work for two weeks following surgery in Singapore on July 9 to treat a pinched nerve.

"I've become increasingly ill over the past few days, so I have to focus on my treatment," Hotman said.

Febrie, who is under investigation over alleged corruption and money laundering linked to the handling of state insurer Asabri cases between 2020 and 2024, accepted the decision, Hotman said. He added that lawyer Massagus Farizi, a former senior prosecutor, remains part of Febrie's legal team.

Hotman had only recently joined Febrie's defense after announcing on July 17 that he had accepted a power of attorney to represent the former prosecutor.

Febrie is facing corruption charges after police allegedly seized 74 kilograms (163 pounds) of gold bullion and millions of dollars in cash during searches earlier this month.

Before withdrawing from the case, Hotman publicly apologized for remarks he made during a July 17 press conference after Febrie's questioning by investigators. In a video posted on Instagram, he apologized to President Prabowo Subianto, Attorney General ST Burhanuddin and senior police officials for bringing the president's name into his comments, saying his statements were made solely in his capacity as a lawyer and carried no political motive.

Hotman also apologized separately for insulting a journalist during the same press conference, where he reportedly told a reporter they had "no brain" and suggested they quit journalism.

Despite the apology, the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) filed a police report with Jakarta's Metro Police, accusing Hotman of insulting and degrading the journalism profession in public. The organization submitted video footage of the press conference as evidence and said it would pursue legal action regardless of the apology.

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