Bali, Eyewitness – BADUNG. The Marina Bay City project in Lombok has once again sparked intense scrutiny in the Australian media following recent statements from Adrian Campbell, who alleged a misappropriation of investor funds by Jamie McIntyre. However, these claims were swiftly and comprehensively refuted in Denpasar by McIntyre’s legal counsel, Komang Ari Sumartawan, S.H.
In his own recent briefing to the Australian press, Campbell also claimed that McIntyre was actively evading police questioning in both Australia and Bali. In response, McIntyre, accompanied by his legal team in Denpasar, issued a counter-statement declaring Campbell’s allegations entirely false and unsubstantiated. McIntyre further stated his accuser has been leveraging disreputable media outlets to spread misinformation and damage his reputation.
Speaking in a direct interview, McIntyre maintained that the Lombok Marina Bay City project remains on track according to the original plan. He stated that the project is currently resolving a number of legacy issues from previous management and finalizing its licensing phases, while maintaining coordination with the regional government of West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). He is scheduled to present a formal project proposal to local authorities.
”I will be presenting the proposal to the government and relevant departments in Lombok tomorrow. They have already reviewed the project site copy. This project will certainly move forward. The narrative pushed by the Australian media suggesting a failed project is completely fake news. No project has failed. I am unaware of any failed ventures connected to our project. What did fail was a former shareholder—a total failure—but we bear no responsibility for that third party. We remain optimistic because we are set to break ground shortly, which reflects the new blueprint for the Beachside sector,” McIntyre stated at the K Hotel by Lux Kerobokan, Badung, on Friday (12/6/2016).
McIntyre clarified that his team has been actively securing the necessary permits, with his representative traveling to Lombok every few weeks to liaise with local government officials. He noted that it took nine months to repair relations with the West Lombok administration after taking over management nine months ago, following what he described as severe damage caused by a separate entity.
”If you examine an individual’s background, you look at whether they have a history of such activities, and you can conduct your own research. When the timing is right, we will issue an official press release. I will refrain from naming specific individuals due to active federal court orders in Australia that restrict me from disclosing certain identities and backgrounds. However, any investigative journalist or detective looking for behavioral patterns can easily look into his history online,” he remarked.
McIntyre sharply criticized the Australian media, stating that even mainstream outlets had failed to fact-check the situation in Bali before broadcasting false reports.
”Lately, there has been an influx of fake news, and ironically, we are the ones being accused of it. Frankly, I operate with far more transparency than the Australian press. The recent wave of reporting over the past week is rather dismal. As for how they could get the facts so wrong—my message to them is clear: I am the victim of fraud, and my company is the victim of fraud. We are the ones who initiated reports to both the Indonesian and Australian police. We also engaged top cybercrime investigators earlier this year for assistance,” he said.
According to McIntyre and his legal team, the media would do better to enquire into the approximately $10 million paid by investors to his accuser and where the funds over and above the $3.6 million that his primary accuser says he transfered to PT Marina Bay Investments and PT Bali Real Estate Investments ended up because those funds were never transfered to Mr McIntyre or any company associated with him.
According to McIntyre, the same cybercrime investigator had previously probed this third party regarding a prior company where substantial funds from Australian clients went missing. While declining to name the companies or individuals involved due to legal constraints, McIntyre added, “This investigator tracked the individual and referred me to the Australian Federal Police (AFP). He suggested that Australian journalists should speak directly with the AFP agents involved.”
McIntyre asserted that the AFP is fully aware of the individual, whom he holds responsible for the fraudulent activities surrounding the Marina Bay City project in Lombok. He warned that the public and investors are still being misled into believing they are investing in the legitimate Marina Bay City development when they are not.
”The clients who invested directly with us face no issues or obstacles. Their villas will be built just as we have constructed villas across our three or four existing projects in Bali. During my last visit to Australia, I spoke at length with the AFP requesting intervention regarding a lookalike company that is misleading the market and illegally controlling our digital assets, including our website. To this day, this third party retains unauthorized control over our domain, marinabaycity.com,” McIntyre explained.
McIntyre detailed a 12-month campaign by certain third parties aimed at dismantling his business, alleging extortion, threats, and intimidation. He claimed enforcement thugs were dispatched to his residence and female staff members were subjected to continuous harassment.
”Regrettably, approximately 30 investors fell victim to this outside party. We have extended as much assistance as possible and, as stated, have reported the matter to the AFP,” he said.
McIntyre noted that during his last trip to Australia, the AFP confirmed they are collaborating with Indonesian police regarding the case of Savas Olaf, an Australian client whom he described as an honorable man defrauded by the opposing party.
”He believed he was investing in my project, my brand, and my reputation, only to discover his funds had been diverted to an offshore bank account entirely outside of our control. He is one of the 30 individuals we discovered in this situation, which is likely ongoing given that marinabaycity.com remains compromised,” McIntyre stated.
McIntyre stated he requested the AFP’s assistance in securing bank statements to bypass the protracted court system and expose where the missing capital was funneled. He argued that the accused party could immediately vindicate themselves by simply releasing the financial records showing the destination of roughly $6 million.
”The fundamental question we must ask is: Why refuse to release them? If it clears their name, they should do so immediately. The refusal indicates a hidden motive. We are talking about an discrepancy between $10 million and $3.6 million—a significant sum. The AFP has the capacity to trace it, and I am confident they will,” McIntyre said.
Reflecting on the opposition’s tactics, McIntyre compared them to a illusionist’s misdirection: “It’s a classic magician’s trick to divert attention before the act concludes. Beware of someone who steals your wallet and then pretends to help you look for it.”
McIntyre stated that the affected investors were left entirely unaware of the deception, believing they would receive completed villas. “We have always maintained that Lux will build any villa that has been fully paid to us. However, we are not a charity. If we do not receive the funds, we are under no obligation to construct,” he added.
”Australian journalists are welcome to fly to Bali to inspect our developments firsthand. We build and create; we do not destroy. Come see the villas for yourselves,” Jamie stated.
Challenging the track record of his accusers, McIntyre questioned: “How many projects have they actually initiated? Zero. How many villas? Just one. Can they show a single villa they have successfully completed? They claim to be the largest developer in Southeast Asia, dismissively labeling us as small players. But can they compensate Savas? Lux recently recognized him as a victim of this predicament, and we are currently arranging compensation for him.”
Driven by what he described as an unfair deception of the investors, McIntyre announced an independent remedy: “We are offering all 30 investors land valued at millions of dollars out of my own pocket, without any obligation, despite never receiving their money, just so they walk away with an asset. And yet, this third party actively intervened in their WhatsApp group chats, urging them to reject the offer. They are being offered free land and assistance in speaking with the AFP and cyber investigators, yet they are being manipulated into declining it.”
McIntyre emphasized that since taking over management last year, his company has continuously warned the public that marinabaycity.com is an illegitimate site operating outside their control.
Concurrently, McIntyre’s legal counsel, Komang Ari Sumartawan, S.H., confirmed that legal proceedings are being initiated under Indonesian civil and criminal law against those responsible for defamation and financial damages.
”Our primary focus is criminal prosecution. We must protect future investors from falling victim to deceptive marketing and advertisements using the Marina Bay City name, which legally belongs solely to Jamie McIntyre and PT Bali Real Estate Investment. The trademark is held exclusively by Jamie personally,” Komang stated.
Addressing the allegations of project failure raised by Adrian Campbell, Komang clarified that PT Bali Real Estate is actively engaged in land grading, securing permits, and coordinating with the West Lombok regional government.
”Regarding the $10 million in alleged losses reported by the 30 investors, our client was questioned this morning by the Bali Regional Police (Krimum Polda Bali). The official report filed by the complainant, Adrian James Campbell, specifies his personal losses at approximately $3.6 million.
The question remains: Who holds the remaining balance of that $10 million? Our data indicates that the 30 investors transferred funds into an Australian account under the control of a separate entity, Marina Bay Lombok PTY LTD,” Komang questioned.
Komang argued that the investment capital should have been fully allocated to the project’s development. Due to the withholding of funds by the third party controlling the Australian accounts, McIntyre has utilized personal capital to sustain construction.
”Jamie acted in good faith to compensate investors and keep the project viable. However, evidence shows individuals within a WhatsApp thread actively dissuading investors from accepting this resolution. We suspect the remaining $7 million is tied directly to the individuals orchestrating this resistance.
If you want to know who harmed the investors, the first question must be: Which bank account did you pay into, and did that money ever reach the actual developer in Indonesia? We are speaking about Australian Dollars, not US Dollars,” Komang clarified.
Komang stated they possess financial records tied to the National Australia Bank (NAB). “There are bank statements confirming some transfers to PT Bali Real Estate Investment, but there are substantial secondary transfers redirected to entirely different accounts within Australia,” McIntyre added in conclusion.
Reporter: Daniel Herry
