RICHARD Latief was relaxing that evening in mid-1995 at his house in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, when his mobile phone rang incessantly. Curious about the unknown number, he decided to answer the relentless caller.

Surprisingly, it was a long-distance call from Saudi Arabia. The caller introduced himself as a businessman and after exchanging pleasantries he claimed to know of Richard via a colleague in Jakarta. The businessman asked Richard to