Sex, money and threats: AFL player’s Bali scandal widens - Sydney Morning Herald

[Zach Hope, Amilia Rosa]

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Singapore/Bali: A deepening Indonesian scandal involving AFL premiership player Ricky Olarenshaw and a massage parlour in Bali has widened to include allegations of infidelity, dodgy police work and threats made by another Australian citizen to bring in “very powerful people”.

Donny Tri Istiqomah, the lawyer for Olarenshaw’s estranged Indonesian wife and business partner, Sarnanitha, claimed his client was the “victim of exploitation [from] foreign citizens” and that she had been unfairly targeted by police.

Essendon premiership player Ricky Olarenshaw and his wife, Sarnanitha, in 2023.Credit: Facebook


Nitha, as she is known, was arrested in allegedly dubious circumstances following a September 2 police raid on Flame Spa Bali that uncovered what police said was evidence employees were engaged in prostitution, a crime in Indonesia. Donny claimed the raid was an orchestrated act of vengeance from Australian business partners.

Donny said that in August, Nitha discovered that Olarenshaw had cheated on her, triggering the couple’s separation. This caused the Australian business partners to get nervous about their money because Nitha was, on paper, the owner of the business. The lawyer claimed involving an Indonesian citizen like this was a common way for foreigners to get around foreign investment laws.


This masthead has seen group text messages purported to be between Nitha and the four Australians as things turned sour. One of the partners, whom this masthead has chosen not to name because he had not had an opportunity to respond, claimed Nitha was withholding money, warning her that he had the “backing of some very powerful people” to get it back.

Ricky Olarenshaw during his playing days at Essendon.Credit: Getty Images


“If you don’t play ball with me and issue our dividends … I will shut down Flame as an illegal business and you’re liable as the shareholder, [sic] we will put you in jail for sex trafficking and fraud,” the man said.

Donny claimed two of the Australian partners accompanied police on the Flame Spa raid. One of them shouted to the staff to hand over the keys, he alleged, and another had “prepared” the front door for police.

He believed two partners were still in Bali but that Olarenshaw went to Australia after the separation and had not returned. This masthead does not suggest any wrongdoing on the footballer’s part or that he knew of any alleged illegal activity inside the Seminyak parlour. Attempts to contact him by phone and email were unsuccessful.

Indonesian police brief media event after last week’s raids and arrests in Bali.Credit: Indonesia Police


Bali’s police occasionally raid spa and massage parlours to check whether they are also offering illegal “plus” services. On Friday, police paraded two Australian owners of the Pink Palace, another Bali massage parlour alleged to be offering sex.

Prostitution is illegal in Indonesia, though sex workers are not considered criminals. When caught, they are often sent for training to prevent them returning to the industry.

But selling or promoting prostitution is punishable with up to 12 years in jail. Even so, the industry thrives in the holiday hotspots of Bali, often behind, or as part of, otherwise legitimate businesses.


Donny said Nitha was against adding “sensual massage” to the Flame Spa’s product list because she felt it risked breaching Indonesian laws.

Donny made these claims to Bali media earlier this month. He told this masthead on Saturday, after news of Olarenshaw’s involvement broke, that he had filed a report to police headquarters in Jakarta criticising the local officers’ alleged actions.

“In the next few days, a headquarters team will go to Bali and review the Bali police’s reluctance to investigate the four Australians,” he said.

A Bali police spokesman said there was evidence to arrest Nitha and if there were other allegations, Donny could put them before a court.


Asked whether Olarenshaw was wanted for questioning, the spokesman said the investigation was ongoing. He did not specifically address the officers’ handling of the case.

Olarenshaw played 77 senior AFL games with Essendon, including the 1993 premiership. He later played five games with Collingwood and one for North Melbourne before retiring in 2001. He became a regular Bali visitor from the late 1990s and met his wife there. For a time, he featured as a boundary rider for Channel Seven’s AFL coverage.

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Zach Hope is South-East Asia correspondent. He is a former reporter at the Brisbane Times.Connect via email.

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