Houses that never were

Houses that never were

JAKARTA (JP): About 300 people have lodged complaints with
police claiming that two property developers, PT Prasetia Pertiwi
and PT Duta Cahaya Indosakti, swindled them of Rp 600 million
(US$75,000).

The group's representative, Johnny, said Monday the companies
had failed to build houses in Serang and Bogor, both in West
Java, despite accepting down payments.

Johnny said the companies promised that the houses would be
completed by May last year but there was no evidence that they
would honor the deal.

"We want our money to be reimbursed or the houses to be built
immediately," he said, adding that each customer had paid between
Rp 2 million and Rp 3 million as a down payment.

The two companies belong to Bank Harapan Sentosa Group (BHS).
The customers were lured by an easy loan offer from BHS and Bank
Guna International during the housing promotion in 1996.

BHS was liquidated last year and Bank Guna has been listed by
the central bank as an ailing institution.

"At first, we could accept the companies' explanation that
they slowed down the project due to the economic crisis," Johnny
said. "But there has been no indication that the houses will be
built."

The president of both companies, Djoko Soetikno, is currently
being investigated by police in relation to the alleged illegal
sale of property belonging to PT Arta Buana Sakti (ABS), a member
of BHS Group.

"Police said they would summon Djoko for the housing affair,"
Johnny said.

"We all became worried after BHS was liquidated," he said. "It
seems that all companies in the BHS Group are falling apart."
(edt)