Suspects arrested for pyramid scheme scam

Police have arrested four people believed to be the operators of GoldQuest, a pyramid scheme that sells gold coins, following a red notice from Interpol.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Adang Firman told reporters on Friday the suspects, Malaysian and Philippine citizens, were also accused of misrepresenting former president Abdurrahman Wahid, better known as Gus Dur.

“We have arrested four of them, all expatriates, after Interpol contacted us,” Adang said, adding that they were being sought by police in their home countries.

Those arrested were the company’s chief executive Vijayeswaran Vijaratnam, director Joseph Bismark, and two other senior executives, Donna Marie Imson and Tagumpay Kintanar. The four were arrested Thursday night at the Jakarta Convention Center in Senayan, South Jakarta, where the company was participating in an international conference.

The daily newspaper Tempo reported Friday that Gus Dur and other 48 people had previously filed reports to the police about the company.

Gus Dur’s lawyer, Ikhsan Abdullah, said the company had used pictures of both Gus Dur and late Nahdlatul Ulama founder Hasyim Asy’ari in its promotional material without Gus Dur’s consent.

Hasyim was Gus Dur’s grandfather.

“Gus Dur never gave any permission to them (to use the photos),” he said.

“It’s also fraud because the company has deceived the public. They’re selling coins for far more than their real price,” Ikhsan said after a meeting with police officers to discuss the case Friday.

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