Police still investigating 'arisan' scheme
Police still investigating 'arisan' scheme
JAKARTA (JP): City police detectives are still unable to decide the legality of the controversial Danasonic arisan savings chain enterprise, which has operated for three years and has about 10 million people participating in it.
Arisan is actually a periodic gathering to draw lots for an aggregate sum of money contributed by the members.
Although the police have yet to make a decision, "we strongly hope that people won't gamble by taking part in the tricky and obscure system," Head of Economic Crimes Investigation Division Lt. Col. Aryanto Sutadi told reporters yesterday.
"We're still trying find as much information as possible so that we can prove that the firm is illegal," said Aryanto, who was accompanied by spokesman Lt. Col. Bambang Haryoko.
Police also need strong support from other related parties and institutions to help stop the allegedly illegal and deceitful Danasonic chain savings system which has caused huge financial losses to many people, he said.
According to Aryanto, the investigation on the operation of PT Ekasapta Mitra, the company which runs the Danasonic chain arisan system, started three months ago.
He explained that police have found that the enterprise lacks the necessary license for their operation.
Previously, the company held a trading license for administration services but today it is only allowed to trade in furniture, electronic goods and industrialized items, as stipulated on its recent permit, Aryanto said.
"But, it's not our task to withdraw a trading license of such a company," Aryanto said.
Like many other similar chain arisan savings systems, the Danasonic scheme requires a new participant to pay Rp 10,000 (US$4.50) to the participants whose names are listed at the top and the bottom (fifth) of the coupon.
The newcomer then confirms the transaction by sending Rp 11,000 to PT Ekasapta Mitra for administration fees which, in turn, will send him or her four other extra coupons with his name listed at fifth place.
The name previously listed at first place is removed, with the other four names respectively moving up on the list.
If the newcomer succeeds in selling the four extra coupons at Rp 10,000 each, he or she will earn an extra Rp 9,000.
Later, if buyers of the person's coupons can actively sell them to other active participants, he or she can earn up to a maximum of Rp 10.24 million.
According to Aryanto, tentative police investigation reveals that the scheme run by PT Ekasapta Mitra, whose head office is located on Jl. Raya Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta, has attracted about 10 million participants from all over the country.
"Everybody can easily find out that the firm has earned a huge amount of money totaling Rp 110 trillion," the officer said.
But, there are a great number of participants which failed to find new buyers whereas they already spent Rp 31,000 to register as a newcomer, he said.
Police have summoned Sindi Husain and his wife, Anneke Kolondam, respectively commissioner and president of PT Ekasapta Mitra, on at least three occasions in the past few months. No arrest warrant has been issued as yet.
Sindi commented: "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, the police's delay in arriving at a conclusion has tarnished the image of the Danasonic chain savings system. "If we're in the wrong, police can arrest us at anytime and seize all the available evidence," said Sindi.
He also guaranteed that his company has a legal trading permit.
In order to avoid further public losses, police have also blockaded all money transferred to the company through post offices and certain banks in the city.
"We don't want seriously complicated problems in the future, particularly when the scheme is declared illegal later," Aryanto said.
"So, we have to anticipate it from now," he said.
"I assure that the money is still there, we have not taken it," he added. "What we have done is to disallow the company to use the money which would only exacerbate the situation." (bsr)