Businessman intends suing businesswoman for libel
JAKARTA (JP): A businessman being investigated for fraud is going to start libel proceedings against the entrepreneur who laid the fraud charges.
"We'll lodge our charge at the City Police Headquarters tomorrow," Muhammad Alzier Thabranie, president director of a private firm, told reporters yesterday.
Accompanied by lawyer Muhammad Nur, Thabranie denied all charges laid by Novalita, known as Nova, including the accusation that he had introduced himself as a relative of a cabinet minister.
"I built my career and this business on my own without ever using relatives names," argued the 37-year-old businessman.
"She might have heard about my family members but, I swear, that I never exploit the status of my family members in running my business activities," he said.
"For God's sake, I'm a single fighter expanding my business."
In her report to the police, who are still investigating the case, Nova, 37, charged Thabranie had taken possession of her land and building documents after he promised to help her get a Rp 100 million (US$44,700) loan from a private bank.
She said that she trusted Thabranie after he explained that he was a relative of Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman.
A day after the news was released by the press, a senior staff member at Soesilo's office informed the city police that the minister had no relationship with Thabranie and suggested the police make a thorough investigation of Thabranie.
According to Thabranie, his wife, Siti Sundari, is a younger sister of Soesilo's wife, "but our family status has nothing to do with my business and, once again, I run my business on my own without having to 'sell' any of my relatives' positions."
He said that it was Nova and her close friend, Lies April, who came to his office last year to ask Thabranie's help to find a source of financing and produced the property certificates as collateral.
"We then signed an agreement saying that I have full authority with the certificates," he said by showing a copy of the agreement dated Oct. 24, 1994.
The certificates, still in Thabranie's possession, are to a 144-square-meter plot of land with a two-story house on it. The property is valued at approximately Rp 400 million.
Days after the agreement was signed, Nova and Lies asked Thabranie to lend them some money, which totaled about Rp 15 million, the businessman said. Nova has denied his claim.
"There are many witnesses here who saw them getting money from me," he said.
Initially, Thabranie intended returning the certificates to Nova if she repaid the debt. Now he intends to sue Nova for libel.
As of yesterday, Thabranie said that he never received any police summons. "I'm ready at any time." (bsr)