Police say socialite Richard Muljadi couldn’t keep answers on cocaine supplier straight during questioning

Indonesian socialite Richard Muljadi. Photo: Instagram
Indonesian socialite Richard Muljadi. Photo: Instagram

The narcotics trial of jet-setting Indonesian socialite Richard Muljadi has gone deeper into celebrity tabloid territory after he reportedly mentioned the name Mike Lewis while being questioned by police  — Mike Lewis being the name of a well-known actor in Indonesia.

The South Jakarta District Court yesterday heard testimony from Jakarta Metro Police narcotics investigator Gatot Sunaryo, who said that during his investigation, Muljadi couldn’t keep his story straight at to who he scored his cocaine from.

“During the initial interrogation, he said he got the goods from Mike Lewis. And then two days later during a follow up interrogation [his statement] changed, he said he got it from Martinus [Lesmana] at a KFC in Pondok Kopi,” Gatot told the court yesterday, as quoted by CNN Indonesia.

“The goods” is understood in court to be 0.38 grams of cocaine worth around IDR1 million (US$70). Gatot did not specify if the Mike Lewis Muljadi mentioned during his interrogation was indeed the celebrity, famous for his role in Suster Ngesot and for being actress Tamara Bleszynski’s ex-husband.

Neither the actor nor his management has made any statements regarding being possibly linked to Muljadi’s case.

Gatot also revealed that as soon as Muljadi tested positive for cocaine, the police searched his places of residence but came away empty handed, meaning they have no evidence linking him to any suppliers nor suggesting that he was a supplier himself.

Muljadi, grandson of pharmaceuticals magnate Kartini Muljadi (whose family was ranked #44 in Forbes’ 2017 50 richest Indonesians list with a net worth of $680 million), is one of Jakarta’s most well-known high society figures due to his lavish spending habits (yes, he’s the same guy who bought his dog an SUV as a birthday present).  

He was arrested in August after a police officer happened to catch him doing blow inside the toilet of a restaurant in Pacific Place mall in SCBD. He has since been indicted of possession of illegal narcotics and may face four to 12 years in prison and a fine of up to IDR8 billion.

Muljadi’s arrest and subsequent trial has come as quite a surprise in Indonesia, where individuals with extreme wealth and power often seem to find ways to avoid criminal sanctions.



Reader Interactions

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on