By The SUN
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| Some of the bank and Octopus cards seized during the crackdown on the alleged syndicate |
Five
Filipinas, four of them domestic workers and one a recognizance form holder,
asked for more time to get legal advice when they appeared in the District
Court today, Thursday, to face charges of conspiring to deal with cash proceeds
from crimes totaling $3.5 million.
The
five – Charity Alonzo Marquez, 39; Jinky Tupas Salmorin, 50 (the lone torture
claimant); Gigi dela Cruz Guieb, 45; Roda Bulatao Ramos, 42; and Maribet Prado
Caniete, 54; were all originally set to plead guilty before Judge Ko King Sau.
But
the defense lawyer who said he was representing all five defendants, asked for
the case to be adourned to Dec. 8 for further legal advice. He also said no
application for bail was to be made for all the defendants.
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
After
the prosecution raised no objection, Judge Ko allowed the application and
ordered all the defendants returned to prison until the next hearing.
Marquez
and Salmorin, said to be part of a money laundering syndicate, are accused of conspiring
with a certain Julia and other persons
unknown to withdraw “money deposited to a set of accounts under their control,
knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe” that they were proceeds from a
crime.
Both
were among 29 people arrested during the police swoop on Jul 26 and 27, 2021, that
also included two Nigerians described as the ringleaders in the alleged scam.
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
No
mention was made in the charge as to the amount of money the Marquez and
Salmorin had withdrawn, but their alleged co-conspirators in this case are
accused of dealing with a total of $3,550,700 that were deposited in their
respective bank accounts.
Third
defendant Guieb is accused of two counts of laundering a total of $1,177,600 in
separate bank accounts she held at HSBC and Hang Seng Bank.
In
the first charge, she is alleged to have conspired with a certain Jennifer Inoc
Teofilo and other persons unknown to deal with a total sum of $319,200 which
was deposited in her HSBC account between April 17 and July 26, 2021.
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In
the second charge, she is accused of conspiring with unknown individuals in
laundering a total sum of $858,400 which was deposited in her Hang Seng Bank
account between Nov 28, 2020 and July 26, 2021.
Fourth
defendant Bulatao faces one charge of conspiring with unknown persons to
launder a total sum of $1,382,200 which was deposited in her Hang Seng Bank
account, between Jan 6, 2021 and Jul 26, 2021.
Fifth
defendant Caniete faces two counts of laundering a total sum of $990,900
through two bank accounts she held at HSBC and Hang Seng.
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
In
the first charge, she is alleged to have conspired with a certain Maria and
other unknown persons in dealing with a total sum of $660,900 deposited in her
Hang Seng Bank account between March 2, 2021 and July 27, 2021, knowing this to
be proceeds from a crime.
In
the second charge, she is accused of conspiring with the same individuals in
laundering a total sum of $330,000 deposited in her account with HSBC, between
Feb 1, 2021 and July 27, 2021.
The
ill-gotten money that the defendants are alleged to have dealt with were said
to be part of the $27 million lost in the first half of 2021 by people who fell
prey to romance and telephone scams.
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