Bureau of Immigration recaptures escaped Korean fugitive

MANILA, Philippines – Two weeks after he slipped out of the Bureau of Immigration jail in Taguig City, a Korean extortion suspect has been recaptured and has given a written “confession” naming the BI personnel who helped him escape, an official said yesterday.

Cho Seongdae, 49, who uses the alias Lee Doyeon, was caught in a house in Parañaque City on Saturday, BI Commissioner Siegfred Mison said.

Cho may be deported in two weeks to face a $23,500 extortion charge against him, Mison said.

“He (Cho) will implicate a lot of agents who managed to help him escape. For the record, this is the first time that a fugitive escaped,” he added.

Cho reportedly bribed the guards P1 million to escape.

To expedite his deportation, the Korean embassy will have to convince Koreans who filed a robbery extortion case against him in Cavite to withdraw their complaint and file charges in Korea.

Mison said there are currently 58 fugitives in the country and more than half of them are Koreans.