Eight high-ranking officials of PT Simbiotic Multitalenta Indonesia (SMI) have been named as suspects by investigators from the Directorate of Special Crimes (Tipideksus) of the Indonesian National Police in the alleged criminal act of fraudulently investing in the trading robot Net89, resulting in an estimated total loss of 300,000 members worth IDR 2 trillion.
Brigadier General Whisnu Hermawan, Dir Tipideksus Bareskrim Polri, stated that investigators found a number of evidences and confiscated a number of documents in the form of bank statements, transaction evidence, and digital evidence before determining the suspect against eight high-ranking PT SMI officials.
Brigadier General Whisnu Hermawan addressed the media crew in Jakarta on Friday, October 10, 2022, and stated, "The investigation team has conducted a case and named AA as the owner of Net89 and as the founder of PT SMI as a suspect."
The director of PT SMI with the initials LSH, the founder and exchanger of Net89 with the initials ESI, and five sub-exchangers with the initials RS, AAL, HS, FI, and DA were also named as suspects by investigators.
He revealed that the perpetrators offered a forex investment trading robot and a trading investment package disguised as an MLM Ebook (Net89).
According to Whisnu, "they promise a profit from the trading robot investment package of approximately 1% per day, 20% per month, or 20% per year as a fraud mode to attract victims."
As indicated by Whisnu, the culprits are undermined with various articles.Articles 378 and 372 of the Criminal Code, as well as Article 106 of Law No. 11 of 2020, which deals with job creation, and Article 105 of Law No. 7 of 2014, which deals with trading, are two examples.
Then Articles 3, 4, 5, and 6 of Law No. 8 of 2010 Concerning the Prevention and Eradication of the Crime of Laundering (TPPU), each of which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.