Pasay City court drops estafa charges vs Neri Naig

MANILA, Philippines — A Pasay City court has dismissed the non-bailable syndicated estafa charge against actress Neri Naig over her alleged involvement in the Dermacare/Beyond Skin Care Solutions scheme.

According to her lawyers, the Pasay City RTC Branch 112 issued the dismissal order on Feb. 12, 2025, after prosecutors found no probable cause against her.

"Glaringly, the private complainants never alleged being defrauded by [Miranda]....More mind-boggling is that private complainants never asserted having personally transacted with or handed over money to [Miranda]....Therefore, the evidence presented indeed fails to establish that [Miranda] committed the crime of estafa, moreso, syndicated estafa,” the Pasay City RTC said, according to Naig’s lawyers. 

On Jan. 20, 2025, the Pasay City RTC Branch 111 also dismissed complaints against Naig for alleged violations of the Securities Regulation Code.

In a statement, Naig’s husband, Parokya ni Edgar vocalist Chito Miranda, expressed his gratitude.

“We are so thankful that she was eventually given the chance to defend herself, and her side of the story,” Miranda said in a Facebook post. 

What happened before

Naig was arrested in November 2024 on 14 counts of violating the Securities Regulation Code, with bail set at P126,000 per count, along with a non-bailable syndicated estafa charge.

She was implicated in the Securities and Exchange Commission's case against Dermacare/Beyond Skin Care Solutions due to her role as an endorser.

According to a November 2024 ABS-CBN report, 39 individuals filed complaints against Naig and six directors of the skincare company after investing millions in a firm that was not authorized to solicit investments.

Naig was released from custody on Dec. 4, 2024.