{"id":4822,"date":"2026-01-21T03:19:33","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T19:19:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/?p=4822"},"modified":"2026-01-21T03:19:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T19:19:36","slug":"new-zealand-national-held-in-bali-as-police-request-delays-deportation-for-four-months-without-legal-clarity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/new-zealand-national-held-in-bali-as-police-request-delays-deportation-for-four-months-without-legal-clarity\/","title":{"rendered":"New Zealand National Held in Bali as Police Request Delays Deportation for Four Months Without Legal Clarity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A request from local police has left Andrew Joseph McLean in immigration detention for four months without being charged, raising questions about legal process and inter-agency coordination.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JIMBARAN, Bali <\/strong>\u2014 A New Zealand citizen has been held in an Indonesian immigration detention center for nearly four months, caught between a deportation order and a police investigation that has failed to advance, his lawyers say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew Joseph McLean is not a formally accused criminal suspect, yet authorities have prevented his deportation since late November, leaving him in a state of prolonged legal uncertainty at the Jimbaran Immigration Detention Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The case began in August 2025 when the Badung Police<\/strong> received an assault complaint from an Indonesian woman identified as McLean\u2019s partner. Police opened an investigation but never detained him. Instead, immigration authorities took McLean into custody on September 14 for an immigration violation and initiated deportation proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As his removal neared, the process was abruptly halted. A letter from the Badung Police Criminal Investigation Unit, dated November 25, formally requested a delay, stating McLean was \u201cstill needed in the investigation process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Investigation in Name Only<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Despite being the rationale for keeping McLean in Indonesia, the police investigation shows no signs of progress. He has never been named a suspect, and the case has not been elevated to a formal police report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cOur client is detained by immigration, not police. When deportation was imminent, a letter from the Badung Police appeared to postpone it,\u201d said his lawyer, Max Widi. He described McLean\u2019s situation as a legal \u201climbo.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Health Concerns and a Unanswered Legal Appeal<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"
A medical certificate from Prof. Dr. I.G.N.G. Ngoerah General Hospital (Sanglah Hospital) diagnosed him with Bipolar Affective Disorder with Manic Episode with Psychotic Symptoms (F31.2) (Doc: Hey Bali\/ Max Widi)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Complicating the case is McLean\u2019s mental health. A medical certificate from Bali\u2019s Sanglah Hospital diagnoses him with Bipolar Affective Disorder, a condition requiring treatment and supervision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citing Article 44 of Indonesia\u2019s Criminal Code\u2014which states that individuals cannot be punished for acts committed while unable to understand their actions due to mental disorder\u2014Widi formally requested the investigation be dropped on December 12, 2025. He says he has received no response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cOur letter was never answered. We have not been provided with an investigation report or any case file,\u201d Widi said, questioning the transparency of the process.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Seeking Clarity Through the Courts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Frustrated by the inertia, McLean\u2019s legal team is now considering a praperadilan<\/em> (pre-trial motion) to compel a decision. \u201cIf our client is to be named a suspect, then do it. Do not leave him suspended for months without legal certainty,\u201d Widi stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The case underscores systemic issues: unclear time limits on procedural holds between agencies, a lack of communication, and the violation of a basic legal principle\u2014the right to timely clarity regarding one\u2019s legal status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his detention cell, Andrew McLean continues to wait, not for a verdict of guilt or innocence, but for the authorities to make up their minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hey Bali News <\/a>reports on complex legal cases within our community, highlighting issues of procedure, justice, and individual rights.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A request from local police has left Andrew Joseph McLean in immigration detention for four months without being charged, raising questions about legal process and inter-agency coordination. JIMBARAN, Bali \u2014 A New Zealand citizen has been held in an Indonesian immigration detention center for nearly four months, caught between a deportation order and a police […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_bookmark_settings":[],"jnews_food_recipe":[],"enable_food_recipe":"","food_recipe_title":"","food_recipe_description":"","food_recipe_serve":"","food_recipe_time":"","food_recipe_prep":"","food_recipe_level":"","food_recipe_keywords":"","food_recipe_category":"","food_recipe_cuisine":"","food_recipe_yield":"","food_recipe_calories":"","enable_print_recipe":"","ingredient":[],"instruction":"","jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_review":[],"enable_review":"","type":"","name":"","summary":"","brand":"","sku":"","good":[],"bad":[],"score_override":"","override_value":"","rating":[],"price":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"jnews_post_split":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,347,51,61],"tags":[47,106,314,146,245,82,673,674,54,387],"class_list":["post-4822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bali-news","category-bali-law","category-bali-update","category-global-impacts","tag-bali","tag-bali-expat","tag-bali-law","tag-bali-life","tag-bali-police","tag-bali-tourism","tag-max-widi","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-polres-badung"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}