September 23, 2026 | 11:23 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An Indonesian businessman, Steven, was arrested by Singaporean authorities over the alleged possession of counterfeit currency. Steven was taken into custody at the Resorts World Sentosa casino.
Steven's attorney, Dosma Sijabat, clarified that the fake bills did not belong to his client. He asserted that Steven was merely asked to exchange 34 SG$10,000 banknotes, worth approximately Rp4.7 billion at an exchange rate of Rp13,900 per Singapore dollar. "We guarantee that our client is not the owner of the counterfeit money," Dosma said on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
Dosma explained that the ordeal began when his client was approached by three individuals, identified as HJ, EAK, and AN, to convert the 1973-series SG$10,000 notes in exchange for a commission. The trio approached Steven because of his prior employment history in Singapore. The offer included a recorded video statement from HJ, EAK, and AN, affirming they would take full responsibility if the banknotes turned out to be forged.
According to Dosma, his client refrained from exchanging the entire sum at once given its substantial value. On June 9, 2026, Steven conducted an initial trial run by successfully converting a single SG$10,000 bill at the casino.
Steven then met the three individuals on June 11, 2026, at Summarecon Mall Serpong, Tangerang. The following day, Steven returned to Singapore to exchange 27 of the high-denomination Singapore dollar notes. The remaining six bills were left behind in Indonesia.
According to Dosma, those notes cleared initial verification and were accepted for deposit by casino staff. Steven subsequently flew back to Jakarta.
Upon his arrival in Jakarta, AN inquired about the status of the transaction. "Our client said, 'This is still in process because of the large amount,'" Dosma explained, adding that his client even offered to take AN along to Singapore if he had any doubts regarding the safety of the funds.
Steven later returned to Singapore to exchange the remaining six SG$10,000 bills, at which point casino security flagged them as counterfeit.
Casino authorities then re-examined the 27 previously deposited SG$10,000 notes as well as the initial bill exchanged during the trial run, ultimately declaring all of them fake.
Steven currently remains in custody in Singapore. Operating through his wife, Steven reported his three associates to the Jakarta Metro Police for alleged violations of Article 492 of Law No. 1/2023 on the Criminal Code, as well as Articles 486 and 374 of the Criminal Code. The case was subsequently reassigned to the South Tangerang Police Precinct.
South Tangerang Police Precinct Chief Sr. Comr. Boy Jumalolo confirmed that the official police report was filed under Number LP/B/4843/VII/2026/SPKT/POLDA METRO on July 3, 2026. "The complainant reported allegations of fraud, embezzlement, and currency counterfeiting," Boy said.
As part of the ongoing probe, Boy disclosed that investigators have questioned six witnesses. On August 27, 2026, the South Tangerang Police coordinated with the International Relations Division of the Indonesian National Police Headquarters.
On September 8, 2026, South Tangerang police conducted a formal case review. "The case status was officially elevated to a full investigation," Boy stated. He added that local police also conducted a virtual coordination meeting via Zoom with the Singapore Police Force on September 14, 2026.
During that session, Boy said South Tangerang police formally asked Singaporean authorities to provide an official declaration certifying that the 34 notes of 1973-issue SG$10,000 bills were indeed counterfeit. To date, South Tangerang investigators have only received a casino receipt bearing the notation "believed to be non-genuine."
"As for our next steps, investigators are summoning additional witnesses while awaiting an official reply from the Singapore Police Force," Boy added.
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