Indonesian police detain ex-eFishery CEO in embezzlement case
Gibran has been named a suspect and has been in detention since July 31, the report cited Helfi Assegaf, director of special economic crime with the national police, as saying.
Police have been investigating the case since 2024, when a complaint was brought against Gibran and another individual identified only by his initial, C, for misconduct at eFishery. The parties that filed the report to police were identified as victims.
eFishery's board suspended Gibran from his position as chief executive late in 2024 amid reports of fraud by certain members of the company's management.
Earlier this year, the startup appointed business advisory firm FTI Consulting as its new management.
Reuters was unable to contact Gibran on Tuesday.
In an interview with Bloomberg, opens new tab published in April, Gibran admitted to manipulating eFishery's financial statements, but denied stealing any money.
eFishery's investors include Japan's SoftBank and Singapore's Temasek.
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The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
I felt sick when a scammer stole £2k from my bank despite writing about fraud for 20 years – the red flags I ignored
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Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Albanese government aims to halve migrant intake with new strategy
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Despite the government's assurances, critics argue that many international students are not coming solely for education, but are instead using student visas as a stepping stone to permanent residency. Labor a year ago proposed capping new international student enrolments for 2025 at 270,000, only to face Senate opposition, but it is now proposing a 295,000 cap. Parliament is more likely to rubber-stampe this hike, given the government's super majority in the House of Representatives and pro-migration Greens holding the balance of power in the Senate. In the year to May, 794,113 international students were enrolled in education across the country, with education now Australia's biggest services export and the fourth biggest export after iron ore, coal and natural gas. While China still leads in international student numbers at 167,147, India and Nepal have seen significant increases, moving into second and third spots with 123,456 and 57,048 students, respectively. 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Leith Van Onselen (pictured), a former Treasury economist, highlighted a survey by Allianz Partners Australia found that 68.4 per cent of international students plan to stay in Australia long-term. 'Students from South Asia and Africa choose a study destination based on their capacity to gain job rights, a low-cost course, and permanent residency,' Mr Van Onselen said. 'With the exception of students from China and Europe, all source nations placed a high value on the potential to work while studying and post-study employment opportunities. 'It should be no surprise, then, that Australia has witnessed the greatest increase in student numbers from nations that rely on paid employment. Indian students and migration agents celebrated Labor's federal election victory because they know that it means easier entry into Australia. Australia's policymakers and media should drop the charade and acknowledge that international education is an immigration racket.' Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show in the year to May, 1.1million permanent and long-term arrivals hit Australian shores, including international students and skilled workers. In cities soaking up the bulk of the arrivals like Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and increasingly Brisbane, the competition for rentals is fierce, sending rents and house prices soaring. Australian Population Research Institute president Bob Birrell blamed the housing crisis on record overseas migration, which meant working Australians were being pushed out of the market, unable to buy or rent. 'The Albanese government is completely irresponsible on this issue,' he said. 'They have neglected it ever since they got back into power in 2022, they've just let immigration rip. We've had enormous levels of migrants, which is just unprecedented, and irresponsible in the context of the housing crisis.' Dr Birrell said part of the problem is the skilled migration program recruits hardly any tradespeople, especially for the beleaguered building industry. 'Migration is not adding to the supply of those important trades at all,' he said. 'Although a lot of temporary migrants who are adrift in Melbourne and Sydney would probably like to take up an apprenticeship in these areas, they can't, because they're temporaries.' CEO Matt Barrie said the Albanese government had created a system so perverse doctors were living in share houses and nurses were sleeping in their cars. 'The Great Australian Dream is now mathematically impossible for the average Australian,' he said. 'In Sydney it now takes 46 years just to save a house deposit. Think about that, for a child born in Sydney today, their retirement party will come before they've saved enough for a house deposit.' Mr Barrie said the housing crisis had been 'engineered' by the government which has flooded the country with the largest immigration wave in history. 'Why, in a cost of living crisis, would they allow nearly one million international student enrolments? 'Why, in a cost of living crisis, would they allow 2.46million people on temporary visas into a country of 27million when there's only 36,000 rental vacancies?' One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson said Australian cities were full, housing is unaffordable, and services are stretched to breaking point. She said One Nation will cut permanent and temporary migration and restore the population to a level the country can support. 'This isn't extreme. It's common sense,' she said. 'Mass migration must stop. The system is broken. Let's fix it and give our people the chance to thrive.'
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Wild moment scammed Aussie confronts lowlife accused of conning him out of $1.9million while flaunting his lavish lifestyle
A retired Aussie police officer living in Thailand has faced off with his alleged scammer after his life savings were stolen through a cryptocurrency scam. Michael Reinecke, 63, allegedly had 40,000,000 Thai Baht ($1.9million) taken from him by a German expat in Thailand and local police helped not only catch the alleged fraudster, but make him face his victim. Mr Reinecke was promised monthly returns of five to ten per cent through the crypto platform before the German suddenly shut down the 'investment platform' and allegedly disappeared with the money. Mr Reinecke and his wife Areeat Noonyot, 50, reported the alleged scam to local police in Udon Thani Province on July 18. Mr Reinecke, who retired to Thailand after a career as a police officer in Queensland, said he made an error in judgment. 'I was genuinely looking forward to a happy retirement with my Thai wife and never imagined I would be defrauded of nearly 40 million Baht like this. I am deeply saddened,' he said. His alleged scammer boasted about his high-flying lifestyle on social media, posing next to swimming pools, driving luxury cars, enjoying yachts and riding in private jets. But Mr Reinecke got his revenge when police tracked down the German and arrested him on August 1, before plonking him in front of the Aussie expat to explain himself. 'These guys are on top of you,' Mr Reinecke told him, before gesturing to surrounding police. The alleged scammer attempted to weasel his way out of it. 'Do you really think this is going to help the situation? That you are going to get your money back?' he said. 'You should've thought about that before you did it, before you bullsh***ed me,' Mr Reinecke replied. 'Believe what you want. I have my lawyers and my witness statements. It will take time, but I will be fine,' the alleged scammer said. He then went on to plead for Mr Reinecke's sympathy. 'I will mostly die here in Thai prison. Is that what you want?' he told him. 'You should have thought about that before you started ripping people off,' Mr Reinecke fired back. The accused scammer was then taken away by police. The 63-year-old Aussie said he became familiar with his alleged con artist through social media before travelling to Phuket to discuss an investment, saying he was manipulated by a man he thought was credible. In a press conference over the weekend, Police Colonel Phattanawong Chanphon told local media the alleged scammer denied all charges, saying he did not intend to trick Mr Reinecke. 'He claimed that he lost his phone and was hacked, which prevented him from calling or refunding the money,' he said. 'However, we do not believe him, because while we were waiting for the court to issue his warrant, he was still livestreaming on his accounts and luring people to invest with him.' The German expat was charged with fraud and 'fraudulently importing false computer data into a computer system in a manner likely to cause damage to the public'.
