Richlite doesn't need to be lacquered, but neither does the chechen (caribbean rosewood) they use.
Despite the hype about richlite for fretboards, it's not a wood product. It's a polymer made from chemically combined recycled paper and phenolic resin. It's a plastic. It's no more a wood product than rayon or nitro lacquer.When it starts offgassing 20 or 30 years from now, the people and companies pushing it will be singinga different tune.
In this case, I'm guessing it was specified by the artist. His choice, that's okay. I wouldn't accept it on a $300 dollar bass, much less an expensive one.