DENPASAR — The long-running legal dispute surrounding the bankruptcy of the Sing Ken Ken Hotel in Legian, Bali, has intensified after an Australian investor filed a lawsuit claiming his 30-year lease remains legally valid despite the property’s change of ownership.
The hotel, located on Jalan Arjuna in Kuta, has been at the center of controversy since earlier allegations of irregularities in its bankruptcy process. Key legal issues remain unresolved years after PT Rendamas Reality — the company that owned and operated the hotel — and its director Jane Christina Tjandra were declared bankrupt under court rulings in 2017 and 2018.
Tjandra, speaking in a recorded interview distributed to reporters on December 4, said she built the hotel between 2010 and 2012 and had earlier sold one of six large units to an Australian investor in 2009.
“We initially planned a condotel concept, but the global recession forced us to switch to a hotel model. One unit had already been taken by an Australian buyer,” she said.
Tjandra said that at the time of her bankruptcy, the principal debt stood at IDR 18 billion, rising to IDR 28 billion by 2023 due to interest and penalties. She claimed her assets in 2018 were worth IDR 125 billion.
The Australian investor, identified as David Yore, had signed a 30-year lease but occupied the unit for only seven years before bankruptcy proceedings began. “He still has 23 years remaining, and I allowed him to continue his stay,” Tjandra said, adding that she regretted actions by the court-appointed curator, alleging luxury items belonging to Yore were removed from the unit.
Yore’s lawyer, Yulius Benyamin Seran, said Indonesian civil law protects leaseholders regardless of nationality. He argued that Article 1576 of the Civil Code ensures that a transfer of ownership — whether through auction or private sale — does not nullify a previously established lease.
“Any new owner must honor existing lease rights. We are not challenging the bankruptcy ruling; we are only defending our client’s legal leasehold,” Seran said.
The lawsuit has been filed with the Denpasar District Court and is currently in mediation, registered under case number 1341/Pdt.G/2025. Co-defendant Wayan Umi Martina could not be reached for comment.***
About Author
