Man charged with helping kidnappers

Man charged with helping kidnappers

SINGAPORE (DPA): A Singapore food-stall owner has been charged with receiving millions of dollars in ransom money from the family of an ethnic Chinese man kidnapped in Indonesia, reports said yesterday.

Mohamed Arifin Yahia, 54, allegedly opened a Singapore bank account last June on the instruction of his cousin, 33-year-old sales manager Rodiaman Rachman, who lives in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

Some 7.5 million Singapore dollars (US$4.5 million) were reportedly transferred into Mohamed's account in exchange for the release of Indonesian tycoon Sjamsul Nursalim, 55, who was kidnapped in Jakarta last year.

Mohamed was charged in Singapore's Subordinate Court on Monday with dishonestly receiving the money, the Straits Times newspaper said. He is in custody while his case continues.

Nursalim, an ethnic Chinese otherwise known as Liem Tek Siong, chairs Indonesia's Gajah Tunggal group. The company has interests in tires, petrochemicals, banking and property.

Rachman, together with kidnap mastermind Supardi Ludiat and five others, reportedly abducted Nursalim at gunpoint in Jakarta on Sept. 2.

The kidnappers ordered Nursalim to hand over 12.5 million Singapore dollars, a demand which they later reduced to 7.5 million, the Straits Times said.