Interpol issues red notice vs MFT Group’s Mica Tan

MANILA, Philippines — The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has issued a red notice against MFT Group of Companies CEO Maria Francesca Tan, who is being linked to a massive investment fraud.

As first reported by The STAR, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requested the Interpol to issue a red notice against Tan in a bid to bring her before the Philippine courts over her alleged role in a large-scale fraudulent investment scheme.

The red notice serves as a request to law enforcement globally to locate and provisionally arrest a wanted individual pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. It is based on an arrest warrant or court order issued by judicial authorities in the requesting country.

Tan currently has a standing warrant of arrest issued by Taguig Regional Trial Court Branch 70 for violations of Sections 8, 26 and 28 of Republic Act 8799, or the Securities Regulation Code, in relation to RA 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act.

The commission said a court in Lipa City, Batangas has likewise issued an arrest warrant against Tan in March 2025 for syndicated estafa, with no bail recommended.

SEC chairperson Francis Lim earlier dismissed the possibility of a potential settlement should the MFT Group decide to reach out to the commission.

“They have to show their money and they have to surrender. Why should the government deal with them if they don’t respect government processes like the warrant of arrest, right?” Lim told The STAR.

In a resolution in May last year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has indicted MFT Group of Companies Inc., Foundry Ventures I Inc., and their respective officers for their unauthorized solicitation of investments from the public, following a case buildup by the SEC.