Police secure casino scammer in Indonesia prisoner swap

MANILA, Philippines — Police on Thursday secured the custody of casino junket operator Hector Aldwin Pantollana, who is allegedly involved in a multibillion-peso investment scam, in what appears to be a prisoner swap between the Philippines and Indonesia.

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said CIDG agents already have custody of Pantollana, although there is no word yet on when the Filipino fugitive will be brought back to the country.

It is unclear how Indonesian authorities apprehended Pantollana, who allegedly took at least P4 billion worth of investments from thousands of investors in the Cordilleras and other regions in the country.

Pantollana, 35, has at least seven warrants of arrest issued by courts in Metro Manila and the provinces of Quezon and Cavite for estafa and violation of Republic Act 8799, or the Securities Regulation Code.

In return for Pantollana’s custody, Torre said they turned over Handoyo Salman, an Indonesian national who allegedly amassed 900 billion rupees or about P3.3 billion in online scams, to their counterparts in Indonesia.

Salman was among the 42 foreigners who were apprehended at Central One Bataan PH Inc., a business process outsourcing firm which law enforcement authorities raided on Oct. 31 following reports that it was an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator hub.

The Indonesian fugitive boarded a Philippine Airlines flight for Jakarta on Thursday under tight security by CIDG agents, the same officers who fetched Pantollana.

Clemency for Veloso

Meanwhile, aside from humanitarian considerations, President Marcos can also grant executive clemency to Mary Jane Veloso on the grounds of her being a victim of human trafficking, her lawyer Ephraim Cortez told “Storycon” on One News on Thursday.

“Under Indonesian law, Philippine law and in international conventions, victims of human trafficking should be exempted from criminal liability if they did an act because of trafficking,” Cortez said.

“Once her custody is transferred to the Philippines, the Philippine government can consider that part of our law and treat her as a human trafficking victim and apply the appropriate protective measures under our domestic laws,” he added.

Given that she is already convicted, Cortez said the only remedy for Veloso is clemency from an executive authority.

Even with her conviction under Indonesian laws, he said the Philippine government can “now exercise whatever authority that they can impose under Philippine laws.”

Cortez said they would immediately ask Marcos to grant clemency to Veloso upon her return to the Philippines.

House committee on foreign affairs member Rep. John Flores said the Filipino people will remember in their lifetime the compassion of Indonesia and its President Prabowo Subianto.

“The goodwill Indonesia has showed because of the transfer of custody to the Philippines to be granted to Mary Jane Veloso will be long remembered and is profoundly appreciated. With the transfer, she will be spared the death penalty,” Flores said. — Rhodina Villanueva, Janvic Mateo