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| Ylagan |
Ester P. Ylagan, formerly the leading recruiter of Filipino
domestic workers for Hong Kong , appeared in Eastern Court
Ylagan, who showed up in a casual attire of jeans and
jacket, was represented by private lawyer Andrew Raffell of Pacific Chambers.
But despite the lapse of more than two years since the case
was filed, the hearing was again reset to Apr 12 after prosecutors from the
Employment Agencies Administration said they needed to consult with the police
on a related fraud case.
The prosecution’s application to further delay the case
prompted a rebuke from magistrate Yu Chun-pong.
Yu asked why the EAA had to wait for the police probe. The
prosecutor replied that police were also
planning to file a money laundering case against Ylagan for taking the workers’
money and moving it to other jurisdictions.
The prosecutor initially asked for a three-month
adjournment, then changed it to six months, saying this was to ensure the
police investigation would be completed by then.
But Yu was not pleased. He told the prosecutor to ascertain
from the police whether they could finish their work in three months.
“You make them understand that this case has been going on
for three years,” the magistrate said. He told the prosecutor that EAA must
take the case seriously.
Yu ordered the prosecutor to ask the police when they would
complete their fraud investigation and to tell them he won’t allow a further
adjournment after this.
The prosecutor came back with an assurance from the police
that the case would be completed in six months, “the minimum period”.
Despite this, the magistrate set the next hearing for Apr 12,
with an order that no more adjournment shall be allowed.
He also told the EAA to start preparing for trial in case
the defendant pleads not guilty.
Ylagan’s counsel also protested the further delay, saying
his client is accused of a “simple commission case” and need not wait for the
police to wrap up its investigation of an alleged fraud case against her.
Raffell also said the agency commission of 10% of the first
monthly salary applied only to helpers deployed in Hong Kong but not to
recruits for jobs in Britain
and Canada
Further, he said his client was also a victim of fraud and
that the delay had “prolonged her suffering.”
The 23 cases filed against Ylagan are just a small fraction
of the sworn complaints made by hundreds of Filipino workers against her, who claimed
they had been charged by the recruiter between $10,000 and $15,000 for
non-existent jobs in Britain
and Canada
The complainants told police Ylagan, co-owner of the former
Emry’s Service Staff Employment Agency, used her Mike’s Secretarial Services to
entice more than 200 workers to apply for the fake jobs.
Police arrested Ylagan late last year on suspicion of fraud
and money laundering. She is out on police bail.
EAA initiated its own investigation after seizing documents
from the former offices of Emry’s and Mike’s in Worldwide Plaza
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