By Daisy CL Mandap
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| Filipina DH in money laundering case posted this photo of her withdrawing wads of cash from ATM machine |
Three Filipina domestic helpers who admitted giving their ATM cards to unknown individuals who used them to launder money obtained from illicit means, were today ordered jailed for two, four and eight months respectively.
Magistrate Edward Wong imposed the sentences when the three
accused appeared before him at
“No doubt the charges brought against you are all very serious. The facts of the case are also serious,” the magistrate said. “Given the nature of the charges and also the facts, plus the amounts involved, immediate imprisonment is inevitable,” he added.
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But he said the court would determine the sentence on each accused according to the circumstances of each case, particularly the amount that had passed through each of their bank accounts.
For defendant Fatima A. Sumcio, 47 years old, who admitted owning the HSBC account through which a total of $1,141,700 in illicit money was laundered, the magistrate imposed a sentence of eight months in jail.
Second defendant Judyline D. Astronomo, 46, whose HSBC account was used to launder a total of $569,600, was sent to jail for four months.
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The third, Ayishah L. Barton, 40, was jailed for two months as her HSBC account was found to have contained the smallest amount of $247,100.
The offences happened between April 17, 2020 and Jul 2, 2020. The money that passed through the bank accounts of the defendants reportedly came from a local woman who was fleeced of some $2.4 million in a love scam.
All the defendants had been out on bail until they were ordered remanded in custody after they pleaded guilty to the charges on Jul 22.
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The magistrate used starting points of 12, six and three months, respectively, in sentencing, but gave a 1/3 discount to all for their guilty pleas.
He had earlier said the accused were not “victims” as one of the defense lawyers had said in trying to ask for a lighter sentence.
The magistrate also appeared to have disregarded the personal circumstances of each of the defendants which were mentioned during mitigation.
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Sumsio
is married with two grown-up children and has been working in Hong Kong for 16
years; Astronomo has worked here for three years, is separated from her husband
and supports her mother and her son; while Barton is a single mother of three
young boys and has worked in
As in their previous court appearance, the three Filipinas were supported in court by their respective employers, who all expressed an intention to keep them in their employ as domestic workers.
Barton’s employer was particularly supportive, even writing a letter to the magistrate to appeal for leniency.
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Outside court, he said he believed Barton was telling the
truth when she said that she had lent her ATM card to a friend who promptly
disappeared. The Filipina had been in
Unlike her two co-accused who admitted receiving $2,000 and $3,000 respectively in exchange for giving up their ATM cards, Barton has firmly denied receiving any money from the illicit transactions.
The employer said he was sorry that the case took two years to resolve, and ended up with Barton being put behind bars.
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But he remains committed to helping her, and said that he had already informed the Immigration Department that he wished to renew their contract for another two years so she would still have a job by the time she gets out of jail.
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