Bali massage scandal: Olarenshaw’s sister-in-law calls on ex-footballer to help his family - Sydney Morning Herald

[Zach Hope, Amilia Rosa]

Bali: The older sister of Ricky Olarenshaw’s imprisoned wife has called on the former Essendon AFL player to show responsibility and be with his family as it suffers amid a scandal centred on a Bali spa business.

Olarenshaw is believed to have returned to Australia before police raided Flame Spa Bali, a “sensual massage” business with three locations on the holiday island and allegedly owned by several Australian business partners. The ex-footballer’s estranged Balinese wife, Nitha, was later arrested on allegations that employees were doubling as prostitutes. Prostitution is illegal in Indonesia.

Former Essendon player Ricky Olarenshaw and his wife Sarnanitha, or Nitha.Credit: Facebook


While Olarenshaw’s whereabouts are unknown, he and Nitha’s nine-year-old daughter is being cared for by grandparents in Bali.

Nitha’s lawyers claim Olarenshaw and three other Australian business partners exploited her Indonesian citizenship to bypass foreign investment laws. While her name was on the official paperwork, the lawyers say it was the Australians who ran the business and decided to push its services into risque areas.


At the Denpasar District Court on Monday, Nitha’s legal team tried to challenge the validity of her arrest and ongoing detention. But the police didn’t attend court, so the judge adjourned the case.

“We were expecting something – now it’s just going to take longer,” Nitha’s frustrated sister, who asked to be identified only as Putu, said from the courtroom.

Edyanto Silalahi (centre), Nitha’s lawyer for the hearing into the validity of her arrest, waits in court on Monday for police to arrive. They failed to attend. Credit: Amilia Rosa


Putu said her sister was holding up reasonably well in jail, considering the circumstances. She said Nitha’s daughter, who watched her mother being arrested, was too young to fully comprehend the circumstances of the case.

“The family is shocked Nitha is suddenly in prison,” Putu said. “My parents were shocked that they got separated.




“She needs to be with her daughter. I need him [Olarenshaw] to be responsible – to be by his family’s side.”

Bali police are believed to have not questioned the Australians because the business is officially Nitha’s. Attempts to contact Olarenshaw since the scandal broke this month have been unsuccessful. This masthead does not suggest any of the people associated with the operations of the business were aware of any illegal activity allegedly happening inside.

Nitha’s lead lawyer, Donny Tri Istiqomah, has claimed it was the Australians who orchestrated the police raid on Flame Spa.

Widely circulated messages purport to show one of the partners getting nervous about the profits, which Nitha was tasked with distributing as the “owner” of the business after her relationship with Olarenshaw broke down.


The partner, not Olarenshaw, warned Nitha that he had the “backing of some very powerful people” to get the money back.

“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 allegedly wrote.

Olarenshaw played 77 AFL games for Essendon.

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