Probest director wanted for fraud<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Police are seeking Burhan Sofian, president director
\nof investment management company PT Probest Internasional
\nIndonesia over a US$4.2 million fraud case, filed by a Bahrain
\ncitizen, Osama Fathala.<\/p>\n
"We have issued an arrest warrant for him and we have also
\nsent a request to the immigration office to prevent him from
\nleaving the country," city police detectives chief Sr. Comr.
\nMathius Salempang said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The police will charge Burhan with violating Article 378 of
\nthe Criminal Code on fraud. The article carries a maximum penalty
\nof four years imprisonment.<\/p>\n
Fathala, who is now in Jakarta, filed the complaint with the
\npolice in March.<\/p>\n
Salempang said Fathala and his Saudi Arabian business
\npartners, Mohammed Abdulaziz and Alhakami Waleed, had invested
\nthe $4.2 million in Probest.<\/p>\n
The three sent the money in 21 transfers between June 2002 and
\nOctober 2002 to Probest's account in Bank Danamon in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Fathala, Abdulaziz and Waleed were introduced to Probest in
\nearly 2002 through the company's representative in Bahrain, Billy
\nNurdin. Billy promoted Probest as an e-business company offering
\na good return on investment for its members.<\/p>\n
Interested by the offer, Abdulaziz and Waleed decided to visit
\nJakarta in May to meet eight top Probest executives, including
\nBurhan Sofian. In the meeting, Probest offered 10 percent
\ninterest on their investment per month, which would be returned
\nto the investors a year later.<\/p>\n
Feeling convinced, they decided to join as members. They
\nregistered under the name of Waleed Alhakami through Probest
\nwebsite www.pro-best.net.<\/p>\n
The three were expecting a windfall profit of $9.45 million by
\nthe end of 2003. However, until now, they have yet to receive any
\nof the promised profit.<\/p>\n
Salempang said the police have questioned several witnesses
\nincluding Waleed, Fathala and Abdulaziz. Other witnesses included
\nHeppy Heriyawati, a staff member of Bank Danamon; Joshua
\nJesusanto, Probest's finance director; Octaviaby Oentarto,
\nProbest's development director; Heribertus Mutaryono, Probest's
\npresident commissioner; and Adhe Aurora Gultom, a Probest
\ncommissioner.<\/p>\n
Before Fathala filed his complaint, Burhan had been found
\nguilty by the Central Jakarta District Court in February of
\nfraud. The closed-door trial, however, declared him not guilty of
\nsetting up an illegal bank as charged by the prosecution.<\/p>\n
Setting up an illegal bank is a violation of Article 46 of Law
\nNo. 10\/1998 on banking, which carries a minimum sentence of five
\nyears and a maximum of 11 years and a penalty of Rp 10 billion to
\nRp 200 billion.<\/p>\n
Since he was found guilty only of fraud, the court sentenced
\nhim to four months and 17 days imprisonment, the time he actually
\nspent in police custody and at prosecutor's detention center from
\nOctober 2003.<\/p>\n
Consequently, after the trial finished, Burhan walked free
\nwhile Probest was deemed as legal under the law.<\/p>\n
Probest was reported of having at least 7,000 members
\nnationwide. The customers material losses are estimated to reach
\nRp 20 trillion.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/probest-director-wanted-for-fraud-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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