2 Filipinas charged with money laundering fail to post bail

Eastern Court heard 3 separate money laundering cases in one day (File)

Two Filipina domestic helpers who appeared separately in Eastern Court on Wednesday for a hearing of money laundering cases against them, were returned to custody after failing to post bail for their temporary release.

One of them, Marjorie D. Tayaoa, 44 years old, was not even allowed to post bail after the prosecution objected, saying the amount involved in her case was huge. She had offered $5,000 bail.

Tayaoa is alleged to have dealt with a total amount of $1,138,868.02 in her Mox Bank account between July 20 and August 1, 2023, knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe, that the money came from a crime.

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The other accused, Asteria M. Pinili, 41 years old, told the court she could not raise the $50,000 cash bail set for her provisional release.

Pinili is charged with laundering a total of  $641,086.02 in her Mox bank account in  just two weeks, or from June 7 to 21 in 2023.

No plea was taken from either defendant, and Magistrate Don So adjourned their cases to September 24 for mention.

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The high amount or the outright denial of bail for foreign domestic helpers accused of money laundering appear to indicate a shift in how prosecutors look at the seriousness of the alleged offenses.

In West Kowloon the other day, a magistrate cut in half the $100,000 bail posted by the employer of a Filipina domestic helper accused of laundering $455,000 through her bank account, saying it was excessive.

However, the resulting bail amount of $50,000 was still significantly higher than the $1,000 granted to three Filipinas who were sentenced to between 9 and 12 months in jail yesterday for the same offence.

The jacked-up bail indicates a similar shift in outlook towards FDHs engaging in what used to appear to be an innocent act of lending or selling their ATMs for a small amount of money.

Once the bank account is used for money laundering, the FDH is often sent to jail for nine months if she pleads guilty to the offence, and 12 months if she opts for a trial.

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