The SUN HK : 2 Filipinas linked to ATM scam fled HK, court told

The defendant says a man met her at this MTR exit in Central and took away her ATM card

Two Filipinas named by a defendant in a money laundering case as the ones who caused her to open a bank account that was used in funneling nearly $1 million in illicit funds have managed to flee Hong Kong while on police bail, Eastern Court was told on Thursday.

The two, identified as Angelita Antonio and Ronilda “Dang” Sumili, jumped bail on Aug 21, 2021 and June 27, 2021 respectively, said counsel for defendant Nora Antonio Reymundo.

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Reymundo, 47, is charged along with another defendant, Leonida C. Manlunas, 40, of a count each of “dealing with property known or believed to be proceeds of an indictable offence” or more commonly known as money laundering.

Both pleaded not guilty to the offence, and underwent trial from Mar 11 to 13 at Eastern Court. The money that passed through their respective bank accounts were said to be proceeds of a love scam perpetrated on a local elderly woman.

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DETALYE

Closing arguments by the prosecution and the defence have been set for April 18, after which Magistrate Jeffrey Sze is expected to render his verdict.

The bail set at $5,000 for each accused has been extended until then.

Reymundo is accused of laundering a total of $903,000 which passed through her account with HSBC between Feb 10, 2021 and Mar 4, 2021.

TAWAG NA!

Manlunas, on the other hand, allegedly dealt with a total of $387,000 which was laundered through an HSBC account in her name between Dec. 18, 2020 and Jan. 8, 2021.

Both defendants admitted receiving monetary reward after opening the bank accounts, but claimed not being aware that they were used to launder illicit money.

Authorities regularly post warnings against the sale or loan of bank accounts

In Reymundo’s case, she said that her younger cousin, Angelita Antonio, contacted her in December 2020 and asked her to open a bank account with HSBC which her friend’s boyfriend could use in receiving money from abroad.

Antonio allegedly said that her friend, Ronilda or Dang Sumili, could not open the account herself as her employer was working with HSBC. Reymundo said she contacted “Dang” and was able to confirm this story.

After repeated bugging with this request, Reymundo said she relented and on Feb. 10, 2021 she went to an HSBC branch in Central to open an account, and later met Dang’s supposed boyfriend, a man named “Chad,” at Exit B of the the Central MTR station.

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Chad reportedly asked Reymundo to go back to the HSBC counter and ask a teller to help her activate her ATM card, which she did. Chad then took the ATM card and her other bank documents, and gave her $500. Reymundo said in court she was supposed to get $2,000 for doing the bidding.

From Feb. 17 to Mar 4, 2021, several bank transactions were made using the account, and Reymundo admitted receiving text messages from HSBC each time. She said she told Angelita about them, but her cousin advised her to just ignore them.

On cross examination, Reymundo admitted having a separate account with Hang Seng Bank, through which her salary was being deposited, and which she knew how to operate.

After her arrest on Jun 17, 2021, along with Angelita and Dang, Reymundo said she could no longer access her WhatsApp conversations with the two, as well as the brief exchange she had with Chad.

In the case of Manlunas, she said she opened the account at the behest of an aunt, Josephine, who said a friend needed it to transfer some money.

Manlunas admitted receiving text messages from HSBC each time a transaction was made using the account she opened, but said she did not understand what they were about. However, she did not call the bank’s hotline for clarification.

When she was arrested, a bank statement for the month of January 2021 was found by the police among her things in her employer’s flat. But when asked about this in court, Manlunas said she did not remember.

The defendant admitted receiving $1,600 for doing her aunt’s bidding, but insisted she did not know that her account was going to be used for illegal activities.

Manlunas said her aunt disappeared after her arrest, leaving her with debts totaling $80,000 from two financing companies which they were supposed to share. Her kindly employer who testified in court in her defense, ended up paying the entire debt to help her out.

Money laundering is a serious offence in Hong Kong, for which the prescribed maximum penalty is 14 years in jail and fine of up to $5 million. However, the maximum sentence that a magistracy can normally impose is two years’ imprisonment and a fine of $100,000.