WA developer jailed in Bali for dodgy deal
AAP on May 19, 2016, 8:55 pm
An Australian property developer has been jailed for two years in Bali after a judge found he had "abused the naivete" of Indonesians during the fraudulent sale of luxury villas.
Eric Gillet smiled painfully and remained silent after the sentence was handed down at Denpasar District Court on Thursday.
It comes months after the former president of the South Perth Chamber of Commerce was arrested for fraudulently inciting two men - Tommy Comerford and Ketut Semadi - to buy 10 villas in his Xanadu Lifestyle Resort complex at the popular beachside town of Seminyak.
The men said Gillet had swindled them out of 6.7 billion rupiah (almost $A690,000).
In sentencing the 55-year-old, Chief Judge Ketut Suarta said he had caused "unease among society" and loss to his victims.
"The defendant is a foreigner who built his company by abusing the naivete of local people."
But the judge was also critical of the two businessmen Mr Comerford and Mr Semadi, describing them as "reckless" for trusting "too much" in Gillet.
"Punishment given to the defendant is not for retaliation, but this is a moment for the defendant to realise his mistakes so that he can change," the judge added.
Both Gillet's lawyer and the prosecutor told the court they would consider whether to appeal the sentence.
Gillet's trial had heard Mr Comerford and Mr Semadi had met him in October 2013 after seeing the Perth developer's plan for a multimillion-dollar villa complex, Xanadu Lifestyle Resort, online.
The pair bought a villa off the plan and transferred more than 6.7 billion rupiah (almost $A690,000) into Gillet's account.
But they became concerned when the plans for the villas kept changing and asked for a copy of the land certificate and licence for development.
When the documents were not forthcoming, they asked for their money back, which Gillet also didn't hand over.
They reported him to police in December 2014, but it wasn't until December last year that police put Gillet on their wanted list.
The resort's website is continuing to spruik the sale of villas despite Gillet's arrest, saying the villas are the "ideal location for that well-deserved holiday, a secure long-term investment or a Prestigious Residency for you and your family".
Gillet is being held in Indonesia's notorious Kerobokan prison.
