VIVAnews – Further investigation into the Antaboga mutual funds case reveal the involvement of PT Signature Capital Indonesia and the arrest of its director. Capital Market and Financial Institutions Supervisory Agency (Bapepam-LK) will continue to investigate the case involving mutual funds issued by PT Antaboga Deltasekuritas Indonesia.
“We will still scrutinize this problem,” said Sarjito, the Agency’s Director of Verification and Investigation Bureau, Jakarta, Friday, Dec. 5.
According to Sarjito, the next step is a detailed investigation into the Berlian mutual funds, issued by Antaboga. “What is clear, is that Berlian (mutual funds) exist. We just don’t know (yet) whether customers’ funds were being invested as per the proposal,” he said.
Sarjito had just finished questioning Otto Eduard Sitorus, Director of PT Signature Capital Indonesia (formerly PT Kuo Capital Raharja). Bapepam-LK investigated Otto due to alleged cooperation between Signature and Antaboga in marketing mutual fund products, after customers complained that their shares were pledged to Century and Antaboga without their knowledge.
Otto was arrested by the Indonesian National Police for alleged embezzlement of customers’ funds following hours of investigation at Bapepam-LK on Friday, Dec. 5.
“The arrest is a result of coordination between the Indonesian Police and Bapepam-LK,” said Police Chief Commissioner Pambudi Pamungkas of Police Unit III for Money Laundering, Taxation, and Insurance.
Signature committed fraud by setting out repurchase agreement on customers' commercial papers. "We'll keep tracing the lost fund," said Sarjito.
Repurchase agreement allows a borrower to use a financial security as collateral for a cash loan at a fixed rate of interest. The borrower agrees to immediately sell a security to a lender and also agrees to buy the same security from the lender at a fixed price at some later date.
Sarjito said that Bapepam-LK will still look further into Signature so that they will find out how much funds belonging to customers have been manipulated. "We're still checking the data in Bank Century," he said.
Bapepam-LK will also freeze customers' funds that Signature manipulated. "We'll freeze some possible fund. However, we'll still have to verify it," he said.
There so far three individuals officially named suspects in this case: Hendro Wijayanto, Anto Tantular and Hartawan Aluwi, who are rumored to have fled the country. “We are not closing the possibility that there are additional suspects,” said Sarjito.
VIVAnews writers Hadi Suprapto, Syahid Latif, and Arinto Tri Wibowo contributed to this article.
DPR Tolak Iuran Pariwisata Dibebankan ke Industri Penerbangan, Tiket Pesawat Bisa Makin Mahal
Anggota Komisi VI DPR RI yang juga Wakil Ketua Umum Indonesia Congress and Convention Association (INCCA) Evita Nursanty menolak rencana pemungutan iuran dana pariwisata.
