However, for our family the crisis had already begun. After long pressuring our mother to voluntarily give up our father’s estate without success. Our uncle, Sukanto Tanoto came up with a new idea which is to use his power to block my father’s bank account in Unibank. The bank was controlled by our uncle Sukanto Tanoto. My mother has been using this account for family expenses even before our father passed away. At that time, that was the only bank account that my mother knew belongs to my father and she didn’t find out it was blocked until one day the secretary informed her that she could no longer withdraw the money in it. My mother was very devastated at that time but the secretary told her that the company has received our father’s insurance money and the company should transfer the money to her account, which wasn’t blocked because there was a low balance in it.
My mom told the secretary that she needed the money as soon as possible because her personal bank account would soon be negative and that she had not yet figure out how to prepare school fee and living expense for the coming months. After at least 50 calls to the office, the secretary finally broke down and told my mom that she was very sorry. She had tried her best and she felt sorry for what happened but it seemed like my mother would never get the money because the head office had blocked it.
Notwithstanding this news, my mother decided to call Sukanto and confront him herself for everything he had done.
Instead of meeting my mother in person, he sent Suryani Zaini, one of his legal advisors to meet our mother.
Suryani told her that to solve my family’s current financial issues, she could try to obtain my father’s insurance money. However, she would not be able to transfer the insurance money to my mother’s account unless she sign a document. She told my mom that it is useless fighting against Sukanto because she would never win. My mother told her that if Sukanto keep this going she would seek legal advices in Singapore. Suryani confronted my mother saying that it is not going to work because Sukanto is very powerful and influential even in Singapore.
Suryani explained to my mother that she need to sign this authorization letter so the three persons namely, Haw Suwandi, Mahidin Jaya and Hartono Tunawijaya could represent her. But Suryani refused to give out the purposes of the representation.
(English Translated Version)
(Original Indonesian Version)
Although Suryani brought this authorization letter to my mom in early 1998 but they backdated the document to 24 Oct 1997.
On the first sight, this one pager looks incredibly simple and no harm. But it’s indeed an incredibly wide releases of my family and may be considered unlawful in many jurisdictions.
The proper format of an authorization letter should includes the name of the receivers, beginning and ending dates, reasons and duties.
However, this authorization letter doesn’t specify the reasons, duties and ending date of it which means that after signing this, the 3 persons listed on the document and Suryani Zaini, so called the recipient can represent my mother and the four children on all kinds of legal matters as long as they want.
Suryani refused to tell my mother the role of the 3 persons and the purposes for the authorization letter. She just kept asking my mom to sign it as soon as possible.
Suryani further said that my mother would only receive the insurance money only when she sign the document.
Seeing the backdating on the document and the unreasonable conditions, my mother refused to sign it.
However, it didn’t stop him. What happened next is that Sukanto forged one. He used the forged authorization letter to get my father’s Letter of Administration in Indonesia.
On my mother’s end, until today she did not receive the insurance money that belong to our father. Probably Sukanto has used it on his daughter’s Belinda Tanoto’s wedding.
Photo: My parents’ wedding in 1986 (From Left to Right: Sukanto Tanoto, Tinah Bingei, Polar Yanto Tanoto, Barbara Tanoto)
How could Sukanto do all these things to a widow who just lost her husband and his nieces who were only 4 to 10 years old at that time? Not to mention that my father and him were brothers and business partners.
What was even worse is that this is just the beginning of what Sukanto Tanoto did to his dead brother’s family. The nightmare has not ended.
To Be Continued…
so basically what happen these day?, did sukanto own everything that ur fathers owned? despite ur mum didnt sign anything how did he acquired everything that ur family had in the first hand?
i wish u every luck and prayer.
i know some of his family must be reading this sooner or later.
seems like greed has ruin their judgement and mind.
what a sad sight to witness in this environment these day.
It is a bit hard to believe that this man did what he was accused of doing. He is filthy rich. He has his own Tanoto Foundation (http://www.tanotofoundation.org) which has donated millions of dollars to various charity organizations and schools not just in Singapore, but worldwide! He has halls, buildings and even schools named after himself! Why would someone who has millions of dollars to throw away to complete strangers all over the world, treat his own sister-in-law and nephews/nieces this way? If this is true, then this man is extremely evil!
Yes, the founder of Tanoto Foundation, Sukanto Tanoto is the exactly the one who hired 10 gangster like people to intimidate his nieces.
See post: http://www.sukantotanoto.co/how-private-investigators-in-singapore-work/
The reason of all his philanthropy works is quite obvious. They are for the tax benefits.
As a retired engineer from Pulp and Paper business, I hope he is convicted and they throw the book at him. He probably will not get any prison time but at the very least he should be dismissed by the industry. Over the years I became sick at my stomach to continually see businessmen commit serious crimes such as the ones described here and basically face little or no consequences. Disgusting and a disgrace to the pulp and paper industry.
This is completely outrage. I’m an undergraduate from Upenn, and I’m very disappointed that our school would honor Sukanto Tanoto, a man with such notorious history.
How could he possibly set as a positive example to all?