Who Is Budi Said, Crazy Rich Surabaya, Known For Suing Antam For 1.1 Kilograms Of Gold

Illustration. (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The clash between Surabaya-based businessman Budi Said and PT Aneka Tambang Tbk or Antam is in the public spotlight. This lawsuit was won by Budi. Antam was also sentenced to pay losses of IDR 817.4 billion, equivalent to 1,136 kilograms of gold.

Initially this case began when Budi Said bought Antam's gold in 2018, through Eksi Anggraeni who claimed to be Antam's marketing. In this transaction, Eksi promised a discount price to Budi. Then Budi ordered a total of 7,071 tonnes of gold bullion from Eksi.

But after Budi paid Rp3.5 trillion, he admitted that he only received 5,935 tonnes. Because what Eksi gave was the official price of gold bullion at Antam, not the discounted price he had promised.

As a result of no more gold deliveries, Budi Said felt cheated and then sent a letter to PT Antam's Surabaya branch. However, the letter was never replied to. So Budi Said sent a letter to Antam Pusat in Jakarta.

Illustration. (Photo: Unsplash)

However, the central Antam said it never sold gold at a discount. After taking legal action for a long time, the lawsuit was filed on February 7, 2020 with number 158 / Pdt.G / 2020 / PN Sby and was decided on January 13, 2021.

The Surabaya District Court granted Budi Said's lawsuit, which was filed through his lawyer, Ening Swandari. Based on the petitum, the Surabaya District Court decided to sentence PT Antam to pay a loss to Budi Said of: Rp. 817,465,600,000 as the value of the loss equivalent to the price of Antam's gold bar at the LM-Surabaya Pemuda Gold Boutique, which weighs 1,136 kilograms.

In the case there were 5 defendants, namely (I) Antam, (II) Endang Kumoro, Head of BELM Surabaya I ANTAM, (III) Misdianto, Administrative Personnel at BELM Surabaya I ANTAM, (IV) Ahmad Purwanto, General Trading Manufacturing And Senior Service Officer, (V) Eksi Anggraeni.

Buying 7 tons of gold, who is the figure of Budi Said?

The man who was touted as Crazy Rich Surabaya turned out to be a property entrepreneur. Budi Said is known to be the President Director of PT Tridjaya Kartika Group.

PT Tridjaya Kartika Group is a company engaged in the property sector. Several luxury properties such as housing, apartments and plazas are under PT Tridjaya Kartika Group, which is led by Budi Said.

One of the well-known properties is Plaza Marina, a popular shopping center with a complete cellphone counter in the city of Surabaya.

Plaza Marina. (Photo: Picnic Trail)

Quoting the company's official website, on Tuesday, January 19, the company's office was located at Puncak Marina Tower, Margorejo Indah, Surabaya City. Meanwhile, some of the luxury housing developed by Tridjaya Kartika include Kertajaya Indah Regency in Sukolilo, Taman Indah Regency in Geluran Sidoarjo, and Florencia Regency in Gebang Sidoarjo.

Not only that, the company is also known to be an apartment developer in the city of Surabaya called Puncak Marina which is located in Margorejo Indah.

Antam has filed an appeal

Antam, through their attorney, will pursue legal action by filing an appeal against the Surabaya District Court (PN) decision regarding Budi Said's lawsuit case regarding the purchase of gold at a Surabaya boutique, on January 13, 2021.

Antam's SVP of Corporate Secretary, Kunto Hendrapawoko, emphasized that Antam had delivered all goods according to the quantity paid by Budi Said to the party authorized by Budi Said when referring to the official price, and Budi Said himself acknowledged that he had received the goods.

"(Because of that) the company insists that it remains in the position of not guilty for the lawsuit filed by Budi Said," he said, when contacted by VOI, Monday, January 18.

Kunto said, in his lawsuit at the Surabaya District Court, Budi Said asked Antam to provide additional precious metals with reference to the discount price promised by an unauthorized party. Antam emphasized that it had never applied a discounted price and only made transactions at the price officially issued by the company.

"Antam considers this lawsuit absurd and baseless. The individuals involved in this case have also been sentenced to criminal penalties," he said.

In running the precious metals business, said Kunto, Antam always prioritizes safety and customer trust by ensuring that every transaction is carried out in accordance with the procedures for the delivery of goods and the official price set by the company.

Antam's gold. (Photo: Doc. Antam)

Kunto explained, Antam always sells precious metals at official prices as stated on the website www.logammulia.com which is always updated regularly.

"In addition, in running the precious metals business, Antam implements a direct selling system or direct transactions to customers or customers' representatives and never through other parties," he said.

In addition, Kunto appealed to the public to be aware of unscrupulous offers by individuals who give Antam's precious metal prices or sales schemes.

"The company feels aggrieved by the cases committed by a handful of individuals against the Surabaya Boutique and has filed a lawsuit against Budi Said for defamation and demanded compensation," he said.