Bali Immigration Agency Director Charged with Embezzling Over IDR 649 Million from 11 Foreign Clients
A 40-year-old director of an immigration and travel document service company has been charged at Denpasar District Court with embezzling a total of IDR 649,549,255 from 11 foreign clients. Prosecutors allege the funds were not used to pay required immigration office fees, leaving clients' visa and residency documents unprocessed.
On September 1, 2026, the Denpasar District Court held a hearing to read the indictment against AAW (40), a resident of Surabaya and director of a travel and immigration document service company. Prosecutor I Dewa Gede Anom Rai charged him with embezzling a total of IDR 649,549,255 belonging to 11 foreign clients.
According to the indictment, AAW founded PT MGI in 2020, offering services for passports, visas, and other immigration documents. The company later opened a branch office in Denpasar and a subsidiary, PT BEC, in Ubud, Gianyar Regency. Clients paid varying fees depending on the type of document required, including KITAS (limited stay permits), KITAP (permanent stay permits), and other civil documents.
Since 2021, dozens of foreign nationals reportedly used the company's services, with 11 of them found to have paid amounts ranging from tens to hundreds of millions of rupiah. For example, client Firdous Ahmed paid IDR 283,062,755 for KITAS, KITAP, and a child's birth certificate processing, while Laura Michelle Bauer paid IDR 43 million for an investor KITAS.
Clients were promised document completion within one week to two months. However, prosecutors say the documents remained unfinished even after the deadlines passed, and in some cases were still incomplete by the time the case went to trial. An investigation at the immigration office revealed that although the company had submitted applications on clients' behalf, they could not be processed because the company had failed to pay the required administrative fees to immigration authorities.
Prosecutors allege the funds collected from clients were instead used for company operational costs and personal expenses of the defendant. The alleged conduct is said to have continued from 2021 to 2025. AAW has been charged under Articles 486 and 126(1), as well as Articles 492 and 126(1), of Indonesia's 2023 Criminal Code (Law No. 1 of 2023) in conjunction with related sentencing adjustment regulations.
Things to Consider
When using a visa or immigration document agency, verify the company's official registration and licensing directly with the immigration office before signing any contract, and research its reputation. Pay in installments where possible, request regular written updates on application progress, and keep all receipts and contracts. If there are unexplained delays or the agency becomes unresponsive, contact the local immigration office (Kantor Imigrasi) or your consulate promptly, and consider filing a police report if you believe you have been defrauded.
Source: FAJAR BALI