Probest director wanted for fraud
<p>Probest director wanted for fraud</p><p>Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta</p><p>The Jakarta Police are seeking Burhan Sofian, president director
of investment management company PT Probest Internasional
Indonesia over a US$4.2 million fraud case, filed by a Bahrain
citizen, Osama Fathala.</p><p>"We have issued an arrest warrant for him and we have also
sent a request to the immigration office to prevent him from
leaving the country," city police detectives chief Sr. Comr.
Mathius Salempang said on Thursday.</p><p>The police will charge Burhan with violating Article 378 of
the Criminal Code on fraud. The article carries a maximum penalty
of four years imprisonment.</p><p>Fathala, who is now in Jakarta, filed the complaint with the
police in March. </p><p>Salempang said Fathala and his Saudi Arabian business
partners, Mohammed Abdulaziz and Alhakami Waleed, had invested
the $4.2 million in Probest.</p><p>The three sent the money in 21 transfers between June 2002 and
October 2002 to Probest's account in Bank Danamon in Jakarta. </p><p>Fathala, Abdulaziz and Waleed were introduced to Probest in
early 2002 through the company's representative in Bahrain, Billy
Nurdin. Billy promoted Probest as an e-business company offering
a good return on investment for its members.</p><p>Interested by the offer, Abdulaziz and Waleed decided to visit
Jakarta in May to meet eight top Probest executives, including
Burhan Sofian. In the meeting, Probest offered 10 percent
interest on their investment per month, which would be returned
to the investors a year later.</p><p>Feeling convinced, they decided to join as members. They
registered under the name of Waleed Alhakami through Probest
website www.pro-best.net.</p><p>The three were expecting a windfall profit of $9.45 million by
the end of 2003. However, until now, they have yet to receive any
of the promised profit.</p><p>Salempang said the police have questioned several witnesses
including Waleed, Fathala and Abdulaziz. Other witnesses included
Heppy Heriyawati, a staff member of Bank Danamon; Joshua
Jesusanto, Probest's finance director; Octaviaby Oentarto,
Probest's development director; Heribertus Mutaryono, Probest's
president commissioner; and Adhe Aurora Gultom, a Probest
commissioner.</p><p>Before Fathala filed his complaint, Burhan had been found
guilty by the Central Jakarta District Court in February of
fraud. The closed-door trial, however, declared him not guilty of
setting up an illegal bank as charged by the prosecution.</p><p>Setting up an illegal bank is a violation of Article 46 of Law
No. 10/1998 on banking, which carries a minimum sentence of five
years and a maximum of 11 years and a penalty of Rp 10 billion to
Rp 200 billion.</p><p>Since he was found guilty only of fraud, the court sentenced
him to four months and 17 days imprisonment, the time he actually
spent in police custody and at prosecutor's detention center from
October 2003.</p><p>Consequently, after the trial finished, Burhan walked free
while Probest was deemed as legal under the law.</p><p>Probest was reported of having at least 7,000 members
nationwide. The customers material losses are estimated to reach
Rp 20 trillion.</p>
of investment management company PT Probest Internasional
Indonesia over a US$4.2 million fraud case, filed by a Bahrain
citizen, Osama Fathala.</p><p>"We have issued an arrest warrant for him and we have also
sent a request to the immigration office to prevent him from
leaving the country," city police detectives chief Sr. Comr.
Mathius Salempang said on Thursday.</p><p>The police will charge Burhan with violating Article 378 of
the Criminal Code on fraud. The article carries a maximum penalty
of four years imprisonment.</p><p>Fathala, who is now in Jakarta, filed the complaint with the
police in March. </p><p>Salempang said Fathala and his Saudi Arabian business
partners, Mohammed Abdulaziz and Alhakami Waleed, had invested
the $4.2 million in Probest.</p><p>The three sent the money in 21 transfers between June 2002 and
October 2002 to Probest's account in Bank Danamon in Jakarta. </p><p>Fathala, Abdulaziz and Waleed were introduced to Probest in
early 2002 through the company's representative in Bahrain, Billy
Nurdin. Billy promoted Probest as an e-business company offering
a good return on investment for its members.</p><p>Interested by the offer, Abdulaziz and Waleed decided to visit
Jakarta in May to meet eight top Probest executives, including
Burhan Sofian. In the meeting, Probest offered 10 percent
interest on their investment per month, which would be returned
to the investors a year later.</p><p>Feeling convinced, they decided to join as members. They
registered under the name of Waleed Alhakami through Probest
website www.pro-best.net.</p><p>The three were expecting a windfall profit of $9.45 million by
the end of 2003. However, until now, they have yet to receive any
of the promised profit.</p><p>Salempang said the police have questioned several witnesses
including Waleed, Fathala and Abdulaziz. Other witnesses included
Heppy Heriyawati, a staff member of Bank Danamon; Joshua
Jesusanto, Probest's finance director; Octaviaby Oentarto,
Probest's development director; Heribertus Mutaryono, Probest's
president commissioner; and Adhe Aurora Gultom, a Probest
commissioner.</p><p>Before Fathala filed his complaint, Burhan had been found
guilty by the Central Jakarta District Court in February of
fraud. The closed-door trial, however, declared him not guilty of
setting up an illegal bank as charged by the prosecution.</p><p>Setting up an illegal bank is a violation of Article 46 of Law
No. 10/1998 on banking, which carries a minimum sentence of five
years and a maximum of 11 years and a penalty of Rp 10 billion to
Rp 200 billion.</p><p>Since he was found guilty only of fraud, the court sentenced
him to four months and 17 days imprisonment, the time he actually
spent in police custody and at prosecutor's detention center from
October 2003.</p><p>Consequently, after the trial finished, Burhan walked free
while Probest was deemed as legal under the law.</p><p>Probest was reported of having at least 7,000 members
nationwide. The customers material losses are estimated to reach
Rp 20 trillion.</p>