Prosecutors receive Danasonic dossiers<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): City police have handed over the dossiers on the
\ncontroversial Danasonic savings scheme to the prosecutors'
\noffice, along with an elderly couple known as executives of a
\nfirm which ran the business.<\/p>\n
\"We've also been informed by the prosecutors office that the
\ndossiers will soon be handed to the court, to try the two
\nsuspects on charges of fraud and forgery,\" head of the economic
\ncrime unit of city police, Lt. Col. Aryanto Sutadi, told
\nreporters yesterday.<\/p>\n
According to Aryanto, the dossiers equipped with adequate
\nevidence, including a check account worth Rp 640 million
\n(US$380,000), and strong witnesses, were accepted by the
\nprosecutors' office.<\/p>\n
PT Saptamitra Ekakarya executives, identified as Sindi Husain
\nand his wife Anneke Kolondam, who were previously detained at
\ncity police headquarters, are now being held at the prosecutors'
\noffice.<\/p>\n
Aryanto said police have urged that the suspects be charged
\nwith violating at least four rules, covering document forgery,
\nfraud, operating a business with no legal permits and running a
\nlottery business without permission from the related agencies, as
\nrequired by the existing laws.<\/p>\n
The couple could face up to five years' imprisonment if found
\nguilty.<\/p>\n
Sindi and his wife, respectively commissioner and president of
\nPT Saptamitra, are believed to have earned billions of rupiah
\nduring the three-year operation of their business throughout the
\ncountry. Police arrested them and closed their activities in
\nJune, in response to mounting public concern over the massive
\ngrowth of the business.<\/p>\n
Aryanto said that at least eight witnesses have been listed in
\nthe dossiers to give their evidence.<\/p>\n
\"They include three participants of the scheme and
\nrepresentatives from banks and social affairs, trade and post
\noffices,\" the officer said.<\/p>\n
Police have frozen PT Saptamitra Ekakarya funds totaling Rp
\n640 million, sent in by new members of the scheme at a post
\noffice and three banks, including the state-owned BRI, in the
\ncity.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Aryanto said that the State Administrative Court has
\nalready \"ruled in our favor\", that the savings scheme, locally
\nknown as Arisan Danasonic, is a form of gambling, which is
\nillegal.<\/p>\n
Arisan is an Indonesian word for a periodic gathering of
\na group of people to draw lots for an aggregate sum of money
\ncontributed by the group's members.<\/p>\n
Unlike the traditional arisan system, the Danasonic scheme
\nrequired new members to pay a Rp 11,000 administration fee to the
\norganizer and another Rp 10,000 to each of the two other
\nparticipants listed on a coupon.<\/p>\n
New members were promised that they could receive up to Rp 10
\nmillion if they actively sold coupons to other people who were,
\nin turn, expected to become actively involved in the savings
\nplan.<\/p>\n
Before the police intervened, Sindi claimed that about 500,000
\npeople were registered as members of the scheme nationwide.<\/p>\n
Police estimate that the actual number of participants in the
\nDanasonic scheme could swell to about 10 million people
\nnationwide, most of whom are said to live in remote areas.<\/p>\n
\"We know that there are still a number of similar arisan
\nsaving schemes in the city,\" Aryanto said. \"But we need strong
\nsupport from the public if they really want to stop such illegal
\nactivities.\"<\/p>\n
According to Aryanto, police have found that it is not an easy
\ntask to close such an activity, and arrest the executives,
\nwithout support from the public.<\/p>\n
\"Many of the scheme's participants are unwilling to report the
\ncase to the police, or to inform the media about the truth of the
\nsituation,\" he said. (bsr)<\/p>",
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