Complaint filed with police urged on minting of Gold Quest coins
Complaint filed with police urged on minting of Gold Quest coins
ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post , Surabaya
Yusuf Hasyim, the youngest son of Nadhlatul Ulama (NU) founder Hasyim Asy'ari, filed a complaint on Saturday with the East Java Police against Gold Quest International Ltd, a Hong Kong-based company producing gold items.
Yusuf was objecting to the unauthorized planned production and sale of gold coins bearing the image of Hasyim Asy'ari.
Yusuf Hasyim was accompanied to the police headquarters by lawyers Rachmansyah and Bayu Prasetio. They spent four hours at the headquarters in an attempt to prevent the production and sale of the gold coins.
He said that producing and selling gold coins bearing the image of his father would belittle the NU.
The NU, a Muslim traditionalist organization, claims 40 million members in the country.
He also said the planned production and sale of the gold coins was illegal as Hasyim Asy'ari's family had not approved the move.
During the visit to the fraud section at the East Java Police Headquarters, Yusuf Hasyim submitted to the police invitations to the launch of the coins.
The evidence was handed over to police to prove that Gold Quest had already planned and even started producing the gold coins.
Gold Quest was scheduled to launch the gold coins at Hotel JW Marriott in Surabaya last Tuesday. Abdurahman Wahid -- a former NU chairman, grandson of Hasyim Asy'ari and nephew of Yusuf Hasyim -- was invited to the launch to receive a sample of the gold coins. However, the launch was canceled.
Abdurrahman supported the plan to produce and sell the gold coins, on the grounds that it would financially help a foundation belonging to the family of Hasyim Asy'ari.
Meanwhile, Yusuf said he was considering suing PT Gold Quest.
"It is difficult to settle it through negotiation. I demand that the gold coins not be produced and sold to the public, but the company has apparently moved ahead with its plan to produce and sell them," he said.
Rachmansyah said the lawyers were studying what type of lawsuit to file against PT Gold Quest.
Separately, police investigator Comr. Krisno H. Siregar said he had asked Yusuf Hasyim 18 questions during the latter's visit to the police headquarters. The questions concerned his family tree and the canceled launch of the gold coins at Hotel JW Marriott.