VIVAnews – PT Antaboga Deltasekuritas Indonesia has sent faxes to all its customers since 10 November 2008. The letter was signed by PT Antaboga’s President Director, Hendro Wiyanto.
Several customers related the chronology and the concerns to VIVAnews at PT Antaboga’s head office, South Jakarta, Monday, Dec. 1. They had gone there to get clarification regarding their mutual funds products.
The letter, a copy of which was shown to VIVAnews by a customer, warns customers to be on guard and anticipate upcoming situation, and that all mutual funds products that customer has placed with PT Antaboga will undergo several procedures. It also states that the mutual funds products which will be due in three months will be subject to preliminary amount of payment of 10 percent. The proceeding three months will be 30 percent; and the rest will be fully paid four months later.
Most of the customers who received the fax are also Bank Century’s customers. They were offered Antaboga mutual funds certificates by Bank Century employees. They started to worry after receiving the fax on 10 November, especially after finding out that Bank Century was not allowed to participate in clearing three days later.
One of the customers gave a photocopy of the letter to VIVAnews. “I have been Bank Century’s customer for quite a long time but was only three months as investment customer. I want to know what will happen to my money,” said a man, around 55, who did not want his identity to be revealed.
He said that he was offered the mutual funds by a Bank Century employee. “But after there was a clearing loss, Bank Century didn’t give us any explanation,” he said.
Customers started asking questions to Bank Century. However, a number of customers complained that Bank Century never gave them a satisfactory explanation. The staff merely asked them to go directly to PT Antaboga. At PT Antaboga, they were not provided with any explanation either.
According to one customer, a number of customers can still cash 10 percent of the funds between 10 and 19 November. However, afterwards, other customers could no longer cash their investments.
Ester, 42, is one such person. She said that she could no longer withdraw her funds as of 19 November. Up until at least yesterday Ester also has had difficulties in contacting PT Antaboga.
The interview with about five customers outside PT Antaboga created quite an incident. An employee who claimed to be the head of securities research, along with several security officers, approached VIVAnews journalist, who was taking notes and recording the customers’ conversation.
The photocopy of the letter was forcibly taken from VIVAnews journalist, along with two cell phones and a recorder. “We need to check what you have written and recorded,” said a security officer.
After confiscating the notes and erasing the recording, the officer promised to arrange a meeting with President Director of PT Antaboga Deltasekuritas Indonesia Hendro Wayitno, the one who signed the letter that was faxed to the customers.
Yet, until the office was about to close, the meeting still did not take place. “Just wait until tonight, or tomorrow morning. It’s not clear when Mr. Director will come in,” said an employee.
As disappointment aroused in the guard post, VIVAnews journalist witnessed an aged lady, around 65, arguing with Antaboga's employees about her investment.
The lady claimed that she had invested Rp 2 billion (approx. US$165,000) in the form of mutual funds. She said, "The interest rate is indeed high compared to other places. But how come neither the bank nor the company [Antaboga] provides any information?"
She said that she had gone to Bank Century of Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, as well as PT Antaboga’s head office three times. However, the attempts resulted in nothing.
VIVAnews writers Hadi Suprapto, Heri Susanto and Anda Nurlaila contributed in the article.
