NBI team leaves for Malaysia

MANILA, Philippines - A team from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) left for Malaysia yesterday to take into custody investment scam leader Manuel Amalilio.

Amalilio, owner of Aman Futures Group Philippines Inc., which is implicated in a multibillion-peso investment scam, was arrested in Kota Kinabalu last Tuesday for carrying a fake passport and identification card.

NBI deputy director for regional operations services Virgilio Mendez earlier confirmed the four-man team’s scheduled departure, although he did not reveal details about the flight.

However, a source privy to the case said the four-man team plans to come back to the Philippines today with Amalilio via a Cebu Pacific flight.

Mendez said the team left for Kota Kinabalu with all the necessary documents supporting their plan to take custody of Amalilio.

“That’s why we have to go and check what are the options for us. We are bringing all the documents necessary in the evaluation, in the determination of the possibility of bringing him here. We have to arrange first with the government of Malaysia,” Mendez said.

A Filipino informant from Marawi visited the NBI last Wednesday to provide details of Amalilio’s arrest.

The informant got his information from his relatives in Kota Kinabalu, who invested millions of pesos in Amalilio’s company.

The informant said the victims, who knew of Amalilio’s location since November, were trying to check if they could still get their money back, which is why they did not ask for help from the NBI until recently.

The informant said he received information that Amalilio was arrested in a parking lot where he was reportedly working.

NBI Director Nonnatus Caesar Rojas said Amalilio, a subject of warrants of arrest issued by the Pagadian Regional Trial Court for syndicated estafa, is expected to be back in the country today.

Once Amalilio is in their custody, he will be detained at the NBI headquarters in Manila, he added.

Rojas said Amalilio will be turned over to the Pagadian Regional Trial Court to face allegations that he took some P12-billion worth of investments from 15,000 victims.