The Department of Justice (DOJ) hailed the recent legal victories in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing with convictions in three cases.
Last July 30, 2024, Janet Lim Napoles was convicted in Criminal Case No. R-MNL-23-00244-CR. Judge Maria Victoria A. Soriano-Villadolid of the Regional Trial Court of Manila, Branch 24, found Napoles guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violating Section 4(a) of Republic Act No. 9160, also known as the "Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001", as amended by Republic Act No. 10365. Napoles was sentenced to an indeterminate term of imprisonment of 7 to 14 years and was ordered to pay a fine of PHP16.0 million.
Earlier, on July 29, 2024, the Regional Trial Court of Angeles City, Branch 56, presided over by Judge Irin Zenaida S. Buan, found Xinli Chen guilty beyond reasonable doubt in Criminal Case Nos. R-ANG-21-00576 to 00610-CR. Chen was convicted of 35 counts of violating Section 4(a) of Republic Act No. 9160, as amended by Republic Act No. 10365. Chen was sentenced to 7 to 12 years of imprisonment for each count and was fined PHP 3.0 million per count.
For Terrorism Financing, the Regional Trial Court of Tacloban City, Branch 45, under Judge Georgina Uy Perez, on July 30, 2024, convicted Lucila Mabanan y Gabane in Criminal Case No. R-TAC-24-00481-CR. Mabanan was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of attempting to commit the crime of financing terrorism, in violation of Section 5 of Republic Act No. 10168, also known as the "Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012." She was sentenced to an indeterminate prison term ranging from 4 months of arresto mayor medium as the minimum to 2 years, 10 months, and 20 days of prision correctional medium as the maximum.
The DOJ extends its heartfelt appreciation to the dedicated prosecutors and acknowledges the exceptional leadership of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” C. Remulla for guiding these efforts.
“These achievements are a clear demonstration of our serious commitment to exiting the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) greylist and set a strong foundation for further convictions,” Secretary Remulla said.
“The DOJ remains dedicated to enhancing national and financial security through continued vigilance and effective legal action,” he added.