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Businessman arrested for cheating Australians
Panca Nugraha , The Jakarta Post , Mataram | Fri, 03/20/2009 1:12 PM | The Archipelago
West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Police have arrested a person identified only as IBW, 36, director of PT Tunggal Angen Perkasa (TAP) for allegedly cheating a number of Australian investors out of billions of rupiah.
Speaking to The Jakarta Post on Thursday, Comr. Tribudi Pangastuti, publication subdivision head of the provincial police's public relations division, said IBW was arrested last weekend and has been detained for further investigation.
"IBW is being grilled as a suspect in fraud cases worth Rp 4.2 billion and Rp 2.4 billion respectively against Australian investors. We are developing the investigation into other possible suspects," Tribudi said.
Tribudi also said the arrest was made possible because of a report filed with police by Australian couple Paul Frederick Robson, 54, and Deborah Cynthia Strock, 52, in November last year.
The couple bought plots of land in 22 different locations in Sekotong district, West Lombok, worth Rp 4.2 billion, on which they intended to build bungalows. They did so using the services of PT TAP and transferred the money through IBW's bank account.
IBW claimed to possess notary-issued purchasing certificates for the land, yet when the couple tried to start developing the sites they found that it still belonged to local people and was never purchased by PT TAP.
"It turn out that the 22 locations are fictitious. They still belong to the local people," Tribudi said.
He added that another Australian, Anthony Stephen Hodgkinson, 50, had also reported IBW, for a similar case involving the fraudulent purchase of land in seven different locations in Sekotong, worth Rp 2.4 billion.
According to Tribudi, PT TAP probably won the trust of the investors because it has recommendations from both the provincial Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) and the West Lombok regent, which guarantees the legitimacy of the company.
"We will continue the investigation including into the possible involvement of related officials in the provincial and regency administrations," Tribudi said.
IBW is charged with Articles 372 and 378 of the Criminal Code on fraud and embezzlement which carry a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment.
Meanwhile, responding to recommendations allegedly issued by the provincial BKPM to PT TAP, Governor Zainul Majdi said he would leave the cases to the legal authorities.
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Observer (not verified), Lombok — Sun, 08/23/2009 - 7:56pm
It may be interesting to anyone still reading this outdated page, that Ida Bagus Wirayadi was jailed on Tuesday 18th August for 3 years for defrauding Aussie investors and embezzling money from them. So the truth finally DID come out and justice has been done.Facts that hurt (not verified) — Mon, 05/18/2009 - 11:29am
Its just the Karma train catching up with that sick kid tamperer and his husband Deborah.
Build bungalows to house fellow kid tamperers, that was the plan and thank god that plan got blown up.
Im absolutely certain that local people will catch up this sick individual Paul Robson in the not so distant future, actually i know so.
Photo (not verified) — Wed, 03/25/2009 - 6:02pm
Ida Bagus Wirayadi (alias Ida Bagus Alit) and his Australian partner Ralph Edwin Blewitt have been ripping people off for years and when things start to get sticky Wirayadi pays local officials to have the "troublesome" investors or partners detained and deported.
From first-hand experience I spent 100 days in immigration detention after Ida Bagus got some friends of his to make a trumped up complaint and Mataram immigration came and took me into custody despite having a valid visa. When I refused to "deport myself"immigration refused to process any charges against me or refer the matter to the police or courts.
When immigration took me back to the site to remove personal effects Ida bagus Wirayadi had incited the village and there were 200 people with knives, machetes and petrol bombs waiting.
My police complaint about Ida Bagus Wirayadi was not acted on. I left Indonesia without a deportation stamp, but Ida Bagus Wirayadi got his corrupt friends at Kantor Willaya to blacklist me for one year to prevent me from coming back to Indonesia to pursue legal action against him or Mataram Immigration.
There will be many other people making claims against Ida Bagus Wirayadi and Ralph Edwin Blewitt before this matter is over and many more would join if they knew he was finally in custody.
The Lombok police and other officials have been taking money from Ida Bagus for years.