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| Ledesma says he lost control of his bank account after collecting the $10k Covid aid from the govt |
A Filipino who
used to work as a musician in Hong Kong appeared in District Court
yesterday, Jan. 4, charged with one count of laundering through his bank
account a total of about HK$5.55 million in illicit funds more than three years ago.
Jose Rizaldo R.
Ledesma, who is said to go by two other names and is 57 years old, was charged
alongside Wong Chiu-sang, 51, who faces a separate count of
laundering the equivalent of more than HK$7.30 million in his own bank account.
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| PRESS FOR DETAILS |
No plea was
taken and both men were allowed to extend their bail - $300 for Ledesma and
$4,000 for Wong -- until the next hearing of their case on March 12.
Chief District
Judge Justin Ko allowed the postponement of the cases after both defendants
applied through counsel for more time to seek legal advice, particularly for
the amendment of the charges against them.
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| DITO ANG DETALYE |
Judge Ko also asked if Ledesma could understand English as there was no Tagalog interpreter around, and he said yes. However, he later said he wished to have a Tagalog interpreter with him at the next hearing.
The judge also confirmed
directly with the two men if they wanted to apply for an adjournment and for
their bail to be extended until then.
The two
defendants are charged with one count each of “dealing with property known or
believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence,” commonly known as
money laundering, which is contrary to section 25(1) and (3) of the Organized
Crimes Ordinance, Cap 455. The offence is punishable by up to 14 years in jail and a maximum fine of $5 million.
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
Ledesma, who is
said to be also known by the names Jose Rizaldo Raymundo Ledesma and Tose
Rizhido R. Leoesma, is accused of having laundered a total sum of 5,500 Euros
and USD706,468.21 in his Bank of China account between Aug 5, 2020 and Oct 21,
2020.
Wong is charged
with laundering through his Standard Chartered Bank account a total of
HK$1,705,319.28 and USD719,851.25 between Aug 13, 2020 and October 31, 2020.
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| PINDUTIN |
There was no mention
why the two defendants were charged together, although the timing of the
alleged offences indicate a connection.
After the
hearing, Ledesma said he had told the police he had no knowledge of the illegal
transactions made using his account which he lost control of shortly after
collecting the $10,000 Covid aid relief from the government which was handed
out in July 2020.
He also said he
would apply for legal representation through Legal Aid, and ask for a Tagalog
interpreter to assist him as he had difficulty understanding the legal terms
used during the court hearing.
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| PADALA NA! |
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