Mediation Between Bank NTT Lembata and Customer Over Alleged Fictitious Loan Ends in Deadlock

The second mediation process regarding an alleged fictitious loan involving customer Lasarus Teka Udek and Bank NTT’s Lembata branch ended in deadlock on Monday. The meeting, held in the bank’s meeting room, brought together several employees involved in the loan application and disbursement process to clarify discrepancies between the customer’s account and the bank’s documents.

Head of Bank NTT Lembata Branch, Petrus Soba Lewar, stated that the main agenda of the mediation was to hear testimonies from the employees who handled the credit process in 2019. Although some related officials have been transferred and one has passed away, the bank presented a credit analyst, a teller, and an administrative officer to provide their accounts.

During the session, a former marketing staff member claimed that the customer, Lasarus, had given approval for the processing of a top-up loan worth Rp230 million. A former credit analyst, providing an explanation via video call, recalled that the customer came to sign documents in the bank’s meeting room. The teller on duty at the time asserted that the withdrawal procedure for Rp81 million followed standard operating procedures and that the funds were handed over to a party whose identity matched the documents under Lasarus Teka Udek’s name. An administrative officer explained that all required documents, including ID card, decree, salary slip, and marriage certificate, were complete before processing.

Lasarus Teka Udek firmly denied all testimonies. He insisted he never granted power of attorney to the marketing staff, never visited the bank for credit matters in 2019, and never received the Rp81 million. He highlighted inconsistencies in the staff’s account of his activities, noting he was an active member of the Regional House of Representatives with a busy schedule at the time. He called for the bank to open its CCTV footage to prove who actually withdrew the funds, stating the matter concerns his reputation and banking integrity.

Responding to the impasse, Petrus Soba Lewar stated that Bank NTT stands by the official administrative documents stored in its archives. However, he did not rule out the possibility of the customer taking the legal route, affirming the bank would follow all applicable procedures if a case were filed.