Indonesian firm lodges police report over ‘Datuk Seri’ cheating case

KUALA LUMPUR: An Indonesian company claims it was cheated by a Malaysian businessman with the ‘Datuk Seri' honorific with losses totalling US$33 million (RM$138 million) concerning an oil and gas project in Aceh, Indonesia.

The company, PT Anglo Slavic Utama (PT ASU) through its representative Ronie Tangkong, who is also a director, in a statement here yesterday said that the Datuk Seri falsified several agreements and statutory declarations for his own interest in a business agreement between PT ASU and his company.

"A police report was also lodged on Nov 2, 2018 by PT ASU against the Datuk Seri at the Selangor Police Contingent Headquarters," the company said.

On Nov 3, 2012, an agreement was signed between Global Capital Limited (GCL) and the Datuk Seri for a project to develop and produce oil and gas in Kuala Simpang Timur, Aceh Indonesia.

GCL was appointed and authorised by PT ASU to sell and manage its (PT ASU) assets. It was at the invitation of the Datuk Seri that the agreement was signed.

The agreement involved an amount US$55 million (RM230 million), which allowed the company owned by the Datuk Seri to acquire PT ASU assets. A total of US$ 22million (RM92 million) was paid to PT ASU.

"PT ASU was used as a bait by the Datuk Seri to woo investors and to get what he had wanted after which he ignored PT ASU," said the statement.

According to the previous agreement, the Datuk Seri had asked GCL to seek investors to take over the shares of a public company where he (Datuk Seri) was working and empowering himself.