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| The 2 accused, one of them pregnant, were both arrested at HK Airport in January this year |
A Filipina who was detained at the Hong Kong International Airport on Jan. 28 while she was seven months’ pregnant, and held on suspicion of money laundering, said in open court today that she will plead guilty to the charge.
Marcela N. Awingan, 38, who has been detained since her arrest, made her intention known when she appeared before Eastern Principal Magistrate Ivy Chui.
However, the
magistrate paid no heed to Awingan’s declaration, and adjourned the hearing of
her case to Jun 14 for further legal advice.
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| PINDUTIN DITO |
Awingan,
who was assisted by an Ilocano interpreter, is accused of dealing with a total
of $357,000 that passed through her Standard Chartered Bank account, through deposits
and withdrawals, all on Apr 11, 2023.
She had initially
offered to post bail of $1,000 but was rejected.
Also today, another Filipina arrested at the airport for alleged money laundering appeared before Magistrate Chui.
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| TAWAG NA |
Rochel
C. Fuentes, 35 years old, did not say anything as the prosecution asked for the
case against her adjourned, also to Jun 14, to complete their legal
consultation with the Department of Justice.
Fuentes
made no bail application, so the magistrate remanded her in jail until the next
hearing of her case.
Fuentes
is charged with dealing with proceeds of an indictable offence as a result of
her Standard Chartered Bank account being used to funnel a total of $666,300 between
April 4 and 6 in 2023.
Fuentes
was arrested at HK Airport before she could board her flight to Manila on Jan.
26 this year. She has been detained since.
The
prosecutor said earlier that the two cases would be consolidated as the money
involved was part of a bigger case of fraud. However, this was not pursued at
today’s hearing, when the two cases were heard separately.
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