Husband and Wife Live Lavishly in Jakarta, Caught Stealing Bank Funds Worth Rp219 Billion
The glamorous lifestyle of a husband-and-wife duo in Batavia during the 1910s suddenly came under scrutiny. Behind the parties and luxury lay a practice of stealing bank funds worth a staggering amount.
A.M. Sonneveld was known as a prominent figure. The former KNIL officer lived without want after settling in Batavia. With his wife, he spent nearly every night at Societeit Harmoni, the elite entertainment hub of the time. The couple enjoyed parties and expensive meals without ever appearing worried about money.
No one suspected anything. Sonneveld’s career history was impressive. He had served in the Dutch East Indies military and received an award from the Queen of the Netherlands. After early retirement, he continued his career as an official at Nederlandsch-Indie Escompto Maatschappij, one of the largest private banks at the time, in a strategic position managing customer funds.
But everything changed in early September 1913. Several Dutch East Indies newspapers revealed a major scandal in the banking sector. The Deli Courant daily edition of 5 September 1913 reported that a 45-year-old bank employee had been proven to have stolen customer funds amounting to 122,000 guilders, and that person was Sonneveld.
The case was uncovered after the bank conducted an internal investigation into suspicious transactions. The investigation found manipulations carried out by Sonneveld on customer funds.
“Proven to have engaged in ‘dirty games’ in managing customer money,” wrote the Deli Courant report.
The value of 122,000 guilders at the time was equivalent to 73 kilograms of gold, at about 1.67 guilders per gram. Converted to current gold prices, the total loss amounts to around Rp219 billion.
Realising his actions were starting to be sniffed out, Sonneveld did not wait long. He and his wife fled immediately before being named as suspects. Dutch East Indies police declared them fugitives and distributed their physical descriptions to various regions.
The de Sumatra Post daily (6 September 1913) detailed Sonneveld’s description, from skin colour and scars on his face and knees to his age.
The couple’s flight was briefly tracked to Bandung by train from Meester Cornelis (now Jatinegara). “Police detected him hiring a car from Meester Cornelis and going to a hotel in Bandung,” wrote Deli Courant.
From Bandung, they continued their journey to Surabaya. En route, Sonneveld met an acquaintance and claimed he was heading to Hong Kong for a study visit to a bank branch. However, that admission raised suspicions.
The information was quickly reported to the police. Dutch East Indies authorities acted swiftly by contacting Hong Kong officials.
The flight ended shortly after the couple arrived there. Sonneveld and his wife were immediately arrested and extradited back to the Dutch East Indies. Police also seized the remaining stolen money they were carrying.
At the trial, Sonneveld admitted his actions. He stated that the theft was carried out to finance the lavish lifestyle they had been leading.
His wife was not spared from the law, as she was known to have helped cover up the crime. The court ultimately sentenced Sonneveld to five years in prison, while his wife received three months’ imprisonment.
This case is recorded as one of the largest theft scandals in the Dutch East Indies during the 1910s and serves as a reminder that visible luxury does not always reflect legitimate sources of wealth.