{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1715861,
        "msgid": "lessons-from-the-aek-nabara-church-funds-case-1777866716",
        "date": "2026-05-04 09:45:00",
        "title": "Lessons from the Aek Nabara Church Funds Case",
        "author": "Ferril Dennys",
        "source": "KOMPAS",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Legal",
        "summary": "A Catholic church in North Sumatra's Labuhanbatu district has fallen victim to a fraudulent investment scheme orchestrated by a BNI bank branch head, who issued fake deposit certificates worth Rp 28 billion promising high returns, leading to significant losses for the congregation. The suspect, Andi Hakim Febriansyah, has fled to Australia, prompting a police investigation revealing systematic document forgery and fund misappropriation to personal and business accounts. This case underscores vulnerabilities in financial dealings between institutions and highlights the need for enhanced due diligence and regulatory oversight in banking practices.",
        "content": "<p>The case that has recently garnered widespread attention on social\nmedia involves the Catholic Church of Aek Nabara Parish in Labuhanbatu\nRegency, North Sumatra.<\/p>\n<p>The issue came to light after church officials grew suspicious over\nthe failure to disburse funds from a Rp 10 billion deposit request that\nhad been pending for more than two months.<\/p>\n<p>These suspicions were confirmed when it was discovered that 28\ndeposit certificates issued by the local BNI Cash Office head were\nfictitious.<\/p>\n<p>Tracing the events chronologically, the incident began in 2019 when\nthe BNI Aek Nabara Cash Office head, Andi Hakim Febriansyah, offered an\ninvestment product to church officials labelled \u201cBNI Deposito\nInvestment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The product promised returns of 8 percent per year, far exceeding the\ntypical bank deposit interest rates of 3-4 percent.<\/p>\n<p>This attractive high yield prompted the Aek Nabara CU Cooperative to\nplace funds gradually, starting from Rp 2 billion and eventually\nreaching a total of Rp 28 billion.<\/p>\n<p>With growing indications of criminal elements in the case, the North\nSumatra Police\u2019s Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation\n(Ditreskrimsus) named Andi Hakim Febriansyah as a suspect in the alleged\nembezzlement of funds from the Catholic Church of Aek Nabara Parish in\nLabuhanbatu Regency, amounting to Rp 28 billion.<\/p>\n<p>This designation follows a report filed on 26 February 2026 by the\nhead of the BNI Rantauprapat Branch, Muhammad Camel, under report number\nLP\/B\/327\/II\/2026. (Polri Public Relations, 19\/4\/2026)<\/p>\n<p>Based on investigations, the suspect is known to have left the local\njurisdiction and fled abroad.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, within two days of the report being filed, the suspect was\nidentified as having departed from Bali to Australia via flight.<\/p>\n<p>The investigation results from Ditreskrimsus of the North Sumatra\nPolice uncovered allegations of systematic document forgery, including\nthe creation of fake deposit certificates and the falsification of\ncustomer signatures.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the collected funds are suspected to have been\ntransferred to various accounts, including the suspect\u2019s personal\naccount, his wife\u2019s account, and entities owned by him.<\/p>\n<p>Not only that, the suspect is also alleged to have exploited\nadministrative loopholes by applying for leave before resigning or\ntaking early retirement.<\/p>\n<p>From a legal perspective, the suspect\u2019s actions can no longer be\nsolely qualified as the crime of embezzlement as stipulated in Article\n372 of the Criminal Code.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lessons-from-the-aek-nabara-church-funds-case-1777866716",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}