Police continue probe of 'arisan'

Police continue probe of 'arisan'

JAKARTA (JP): City Police say they will continue their
investigation of two executives of the Danasonic chain arisan
savings enterprise. Arisan is a periodic gathering to draw lots
for a sum of money

"We strongly believe that the system used by these people has
broken the existing rules on money savings and is designed only
to collect money for their own benefit," police spokesman Lt.
Col. Bambang Haryoko said yesterday.

The questioning of Sindi Husain and his wife, Anneke Kolondam,
respectively commissioner and president of PT Ekasapta Mitra, the
company which runs the Danasonic system, would continue, he said.

Although police have summoned the two on at least three
occasions, the economic crimes division of the city police has
not yet issued a warrant of arrest.

When contacted, Sindi said: "We're ready to be questioned at
any time and will be pleased if the police decide as soon as
possible which rules, specifically, we have violated."

According to Sindi, police delay in arriving at a decision has
tarnished the image of the Danasonic chain savings system among
its some 500,000 participants, which are spread widely throughout
Indonesia in cities, towns and villages.

"If we're in the wrong, police can arrest us at anytime and
seize all the available evidence," Sindi said.

"Moreover, it should not be difficult to question the
participants in our scheme as potential witnesses," he added.

Like many other similar chain arisan savings systems, the
Danasonic scheme requires new participants to send Rp 11,000
(US$4.97) to PT Ekasapta Mitra for administration. In addition, a
newcomer has to send Rp 10,000 to the participant occupying the
fifth place and Rp 10,000 to the participant occupying the first
place.

"We promise nothing to our participants but if they are active
in selling the application forms to other dynamic people, they
can collect millions of rupiah and, perhaps, as much as Rp 10
million," Sindi said.

According to Bambang, the Danasonic scheme has operated as a
bank, following no legal procedures and keeping no documents.

"The system run by the company is not like those found in many
arisan groups in society because most of the participants do not
know the others and some might have no chance of even getting
their money back," said the city police spokesman. (bsr)