Masquerading swindler tried

An engineer, claiming to be a brother of Indonesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, is on trial at the South Jakarta district court for fraud.

Prosecutor Charles Mindanora told the court Saturday that the defendant, whom he identified as BW, an engineer who claimed to be a younger brother of Alatas, had cheated Indra Abidin, the director of Jakarta-based PT Graha Andhika Fortune, out of US$300,000.

According to prosecutor Mindanora, the defendant met Indra on March 1992 at his office in Mampang Prapatan, South Jakarta, and promised to get him $5 million as part of $20 million loan he was requesting from a Hong Kong-based financier.

The defendant asked that Indra allocate him over 10 percent of the amount of the loan to seal the agreement. He allegedly promised to return the money as soon as the loan funds were disbursed to him by the Hong Kong financier.

On April 10, 1992, the defendant placed an order for plane tickets to Hong Kong for him and two directors of PT Graha, Herman Mulyadi Sulaeman and Kasman Ardan. He also reserved three rooms for them at the Hilton Hotel in the British colony.

On April 16, Herman and Kasman gave $300,000 to BW as previously requested.

The defendant not only failed to help the two procure the $5 million he promised from the Hong Kong financier, he also failed to return the $300,000 to the victims. (09)