MATARAM — The property and tourism investment sector in Nusa Tenggara Barat has been rocked by negative sentiment following the eruption of an international investment fraud scandal. The prestigious development project titled Marina Bay City Lombok, which has been aggressively marketed as an integrated zone featuring a marina, luxury villas, and premium resort properties, is under intense public scrutiny after several foreign investors—predominantly Australian nationals—officially reported massive investment losses to law enforcement agencies.
The foreign investors claimed they had injected large sums of capital to acquire villa units and property instruments offered by the developer. However, as time progressed, the project became plagued by chronic disputes.
Physical construction on the ground has reportedly stalled and failed to meet the written commitments initially presented to the buyers. Furthermore, indicators of agrarian conflict regarding land status and ownership have surfaced, alongside chaotic project management and the alleged misappropriation of investor funds. Feeling severely disadvantaged, the investors dragged the case into the criminal realm, and the investigation is currently being handled under the Directorate of Criminal Investigation of the Bali Regional Police (Polda Bali).
Responding to the growing turbulence, the Head of the Communication, Informatics, and Statistics Office as well as the Spokesperson for the NTB Provincial Government, Dr. H. Ahsanul Halik, alongside the Head of the NTB Investment and Integrated One-Stop Services Office (DPMPTSP), H. Irnadi Kusuma, S.STP., M.E., stepped forward to clarify the government’s position. The provincial government firmly stated that the scandal, which has gained widespread public attention, is strictly an internal corporate issue and a private business-to-business dispute between the involved parties.
”Since this case has entered the legal realm and is currently being processed by the Bali Regional Police, the NTB Provincial Government fully hands over the process to law enforcement. We hope that all the core facts of the matter, ranging from project management aspects and the relationships between the parties to the various issues reported by the investors, can be uncovered objectively and transparently to provide legal certainty for everyone involved,” Ahsanul Halik stated in Mataram.
Halik straightened out public perception to prevent any devaluation of the regional investment climate. He emphasized that the matter constitutes a private civil and criminal legal relationship between the corporation and third-party investors, completely absolving the NTB Provincial Government or local municipal and regency governments from any involvement.
”The NTB Provincial Government is not a party to the business transactions, project marketing, pooling of investor funds, property sales, or contractual agreements between the company and its investors. Therefore, the issues occurring remain the absolute responsibility of the parties involved and must be settled through existing legal mechanisms,” Halik asserted.
Project Completely Erased from Official Regional Investment Database
The stench of illegality surrounding the Marina Bay City Lombok project grew stronger after the NTB DPMPTSP dissected the regional capital investment database. The Head of DPMPTSP NTB, H. Irnadi Kusuma, uncovered the shocking fact that the corporate entity operating behind the fraudulent project is completely unregistered within official licensing manifests.
”Based on our administrative data, the company associated with the project is not recorded as an investor that has processed its investment through the mechanisms under the jurisdiction of the NTB Provincial Government. Consequently, the developing case cannot be categorized as a regional investment that is within the process of facilitation or structural oversight by the NTB Provincial Government,” Irnadi Kusuma revealed bluntly.
Irnadi highlighted that any legitimate investment entering through official channels is structurally mandated to secure cyber-integration via the Online Single Submission (OSS) system, is entitled to provincial government protection and facilitation, and carries the legal burden of submitting periodic administrative progress reports. Clarity regarding this investment status is highly crucial as a strict boundary line to help the public differentiate between the misconduct of an isolated rogue corporation and the actual, fundamental condition of Lombok’s broader investment climate.
Despite being hit by an illegal foreign investment scandal, the NTB Provincial Government guarantees that the region’s cyber-economic stability and its allure for global capital will remain unbothered. The government holds onto its high commitment to establishing a healthy, transparent investment ecosystem that guarantees absolute legal certainty.
”NTB remains wide open for both domestic and foreign investors who wish to invest legally, transparently, and responsibly. A single case involving a specific company cannot be used as a metric to judge the overall investment climate in Nusa Tenggara Barat, which historically remains highly conducive and continues to expand,” Ahsanul Halik concluded.
INDONESIA INSIGHTS: STRATEGIC AUDIT ANATOMY OF AN ILLEGAL PROPERTY PROJECT DISPUTE
| Entity / Project Cluster | Problem Indicators & Legal Status | Risk Management Output & Mitigation Recommendations |
|---|---|---|
| Marina Bay City Lombok(Integrated Marina, Villas, & Tourism Property Zone) | 1. Investor Origin: Mostly from Australia (Reporting foreign exchange losses).2. Legal Jurisdiction: Handled entirely by the Bali Regional Police (Polda Bali).3. Administrative Status: UNREGISTERED and sits outside the facilitation mandate of the NTB Provincial Government (DPMPTSP). | 1. Isolation of Tax & Investment Risk: The NTB Provincial Government successfully insulated its regional reputation by explicitly verifying zero involvement in the marketing network, fund collection, or contractual oversight of the disputed project.2. Forensic Land Audit: The NTB Investment Task Force, alongside the Ministry of ATR/BPN, is urged to run physical tracking on the land plots claimed by the developer to prevent the escalation of horizontal conflicts.3. Cyber Protection Campaign: DPMPTSP needs to step up its public campaign regarding integrated single-gate verification channels for foreign buyers to eliminate the risks of ghost investments. |
Strategic Audit: Getnews Data Intelligence Unit | Risk Assessment of Business Licensing Security and Legal Protection of Foreign Property Rights, June 2026.
