Maudy Ayunda Shares First Pregnancy as Richard Lee Challenges Evidence in Tangerang Trial

Family celebrations and a courtroom challenge

Maudy Ayunda has announced her first pregnancy with husband Jesse Choi, saying she was already more than seven months pregnant when she shared ultrasound images and photographs of her growing belly on Instagram in October 2026. Her baby is expected around December.

In a separate development, beauty entrepreneur Richard Lee challenged documents and product evidence in his trial at Tangerang District Court, Banten. At the November 5, 2026, hearing, his defence questioned why a police report named him personally when the complainant's power of attorney referred to CV Athena Mandiri or its leader.

Lee and his lawyer, Faizal Hafied, also focused on a financial loss figure of Rp0 in the police report. Their arguments form part of his response to allegations involving consumer protection and the production or distribution of pharmaceutical products that failed to meet standards.

Actress and presenter Fanny Ghassani has also announced a pregnancy after what she described as nine years of waiting. She said her prayers had been answered and asked for prayers for her health and a smooth pregnancy.

The pregnancy announcements concern separate families, while Lee's case is moving toward the prosecution's closing demands. The central developments are Maudy's account of preparing for parenthood and the defence arguments that judges will consider in the criminal proceedings.

Maudy shares news after months of privacy

Maudy Ayunda, a singer and actress, opened her pregnancy announcement with a short Indonesian greeting meaning "Hello, world."

Haloo dunia.

Her Instagram photographs included an ultrasound image in which the baby appeared to be waving, a photograph of Maudy lying on her side, and an image with Jesse. She wrote that she had been carrying their little light for more than seven months and was looking forward to seeing Jesse become "Appa," a Korean word for dad.

The announcement is dated October 19, 2026, at about 11:30 a.m. Western Indonesian Time in the initial chronology; the subsequent family chronology places it on October 20. Both place the public announcement in October, after several months of privacy.

Iman Usman, Erika Richardo, Didiet Maulana and Angkie Yudistia were among the public figures who sent congratulations and wishes for the health of Maudy and her baby.

Maudy and Jesse married on May 22, 2022, at her home in Cilandak Barat, South Jakarta. They held their reception a week later, on May 29, at Six Senses in Uluwatu, Bali. Their pregnancy announcement came more than four years after their wedding.

How the couple told their families

Jesse Choi said the couple learned about the pregnancy in April 2026. He later shared a photograph of Maudy smiling while holding a positive pregnancy test, alongside an account of their excitement and nerves.

Jesse, Maudy's husband, described their reaction in his Instagram caption:

In April we found out we're pregnant!! Thrilled but nervous. Are we ready for what's to come?

In May, Maudy attended her first ultrasound appointment, according to Jesse. He shared a photograph of her watching the hospital monitor, describing the visit as their first look at something tiny growing.

Maudy's parents, Didit Jasmedi R. Irawan and Muren Murdjoko, were the first family members told. Jesse described them spending a long time studying ultrasound photographs of their first grandchild.

Jesse's parents in South Korea received the announcement through a surprise package containing baby clothes. His account described their initial confusion, followed by happiness when they understood that a grandchild was on the way.

The family disclosures give a fuller sequence than the public announcement alone: the couple learned the news in April, attended the first ultrasound in May and shared the pregnancy publicly in October. Jesse also said he planned to publish a second instalment of their pregnancy story.

A Javanese ceremony before the birth

Maudy and Jesse celebrated the pregnancy with a mitoni, also called tingkeban, a Javanese ceremony associated with the seventh month of pregnancy. In an Instagram post dated November 3, Maudy said they had gathered with family several weeks earlier to pray for health, safety and a smooth birth.

The celebration included sungkeman, a gesture of respect and a request for blessings. Maudy performed it with Jesse and with her parents. Photographs also showed Jesse helping pour water during siraman, the ceremonial washing that formed part of the event.

Maudy wore a lilac lace kebaya decorated with sequins and beads, paired with jumputan cloth. Her hair was arranged in a low bun with jasmine flowers. Jesse wore a purple beskap, a traditional formal jacket, with a blangkon head covering and batik cloth.

For a later part of the celebration, Maudy changed into a light nude kutubaru kebaya with raised floral embroidery. The programme included changing clothes and the Jual Rujak and Dawet rituals, involving the ceremonial sale of fruit salad and a traditional drink.

The gathering brought both sides of the couple's life into the celebration: Javanese customs, Maudy's parents and Jesse's participation as they prepared for their first child. Maudy's November post described the ceremony retrospectively rather than giving its exact date.

What Lee is challenging in court

Richard Lee's proceedings concern alleged violations of Indonesia's consumer protection and health laws following a complaint by Dr. Samira Farahnaz, known publicly as Doktif or Dokter Detektif. The allegations include producing and distributing pharmaceutical products that did not meet required standards.

At Tangerang District Court on November 5, Lee discussed the complainant's power of attorney, the police report and the prosecution's indictment with Faizal Hafied. A power of attorney authorises another person to act on someone's behalf. An indictment sets out the criminal accusations brought by prosecutors.

Lee said the authorisation referred to reporting CV Athena Mandiri or its leader, while the police report named him personally. His defence questioned whether the person acting for the complainant had stayed within the authority granted by that document.

Faizal also argued that Lee's role was advertising products rather than leading the corporation. That makes the question of responsibility central to the defence: which actions prosecutors attribute to Lee personally, and how those actions connect to the products at issue.

The documents use variations of the business name, including CV Athena Mandiri Grup. Lee's objection centres on the difference between the business or its leadership being named in the authorisation and his being named individually in the police report.

Why the Rp0 entry matters to the defence

Lee and Faizal highlighted wording in the police report that referred to a victim but recorded financial losses of Rp0. They said Samira had also stated that she suffered no loss during questioning and when she appeared in court.

The defence is using that entry to challenge the complaint's account of harm. In simple terms, Lee's lawyers are asking how the allegation against him fits with the complainant's recorded statement that she lost no money.

Consumer protection and health proceedings can involve several different issues, including a product's condition, how it was distributed and the responsibility of the person charged. The court's task is to assess the accusations under the legal provisions prosecutors have invoked, together with the evidence presented by both sides.

The precise statutory articles and the court's assessment of the Rp0 argument have not been set out publicly in the details described here. The absence of a financial loss is a defence argument awaiting the judges' consideration, alongside the disputed product evidence and Lee's account of his role.

The dispute over White Tomato evidence

At an October 29, 2026, hearing, Lee challenged the origin of a seized White Tomato product. He claimed it was counterfeit and was not an official product from his clinic.

Lee said Samira bought the product through sellers called Graba Shop and Rachel Shop rather than through his clinic or its official sales channels. He also said he did not know who operated those shops.

At the November 5 hearing, his defence brought a recording from a Denny Sumargo podcast on a USB drive. Faizal said the recording was being submitted to challenge the authenticity of the product evidence associated with Doktif. Authenticity means whether an item is genuinely what someone says it is.

The defence's position puts the product's journey into focus: where it was bought, who supplied it and how it became evidence in court. Those details matter because the judges must connect the item examined in the case with the conduct alleged against Lee.

Lee also questioned stock figures attributed to Graba Shop: 13 boxes purchased, 10.5 sold and 2.5 presented to the court. The stated quantities add up to 13 boxes. His wider objection concerns the origin and identity of the products, while those quantities, taken together, account for the stated purchase total.

Lee cites a Singapore trip

Lee's lawyers also examined his whereabouts on October 12 and October 23, 2024, dates connected to allegations that he produced and distributed pharmaceutical products that failed to meet standards in Tangerang.

During the November 5 hearing, Lee said he travelled to Singapore on October 12, 2024, with his wife, a close friend and the friend's wife to attend an Andy Lau concert that day. His defence presented his account of being abroad as part of its challenge to the prosecution's timeline.

The concrete travel account described in court concerns October 12. Although the questioning also covered October 23, the details given do not include a corresponding account of his location on that second date.

Lee's whereabouts argument sits alongside his other objections: that he advertised rather than led the business, that the complaint documents named different parties and that the product submitted as evidence was not an official clinic product.

The sequence and the next court stage

The developments span events in 2024 and public announcements and hearings in 2026. The main dates are:

• October 12 and 23, 2024: Dates examined by Lee's lawyers in connection with the alleged production and distribution of products.
• April and May 2026: Maudy and Jesse learned of the pregnancy, followed by her first ultrasound appointment.
• October 2026: Maudy publicly announced that she was more than seven months pregnant.
• October 29, 2026: Lee challenged the White Tomato product evidence in court.
• November 3, 2026: Maudy shared details of the mitoni held several weeks earlier.
• November 5, 2026: Lee's defence questioned documents, submitted podcast footage and examined his whereabouts.
• December 2026: The approximate expected arrival of Maudy and Jesse's baby.

The presiding judge rejected a prosecution request to call an additional expert, saying the court had already designated the hearing as the final examination. Faizal objected to reopening witness and expert testimony after that stage had been completed.

The case was set to proceed to the prosecution's closing demands, when prosecutors explain what outcome and punishment they seek. No date was given for that next session, and the judges have yet to deliver their verdict.

Key Points

• Maudy Ayunda and Jesse Choi are expecting their first child, with an approximate due date in December 2026.
• The couple learned of the pregnancy in April and later celebrated with a Javanese mitoni involving family prayers, sungkeman and siraman.
• Fanny Ghassani also announced a pregnancy after describing nine years of waiting.
• Richard Lee is contesting allegations involving consumer protection and pharmaceutical standards at Tangerang District Court.
• His defence has challenged the complaint documents, the Rp0 financial loss entry, product authenticity and his connection to the alleged conduct.
• The trial is moving toward the prosecution's closing demands after the judge declined an additional expert witness.