By Benjamin Pulta
MANILA – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Wednesday announced the arrest of a South Korean national wanted in his home country for his part in an investment scam.
In a statement, NBI Director Jaime Santiago said Kim Yooshik, a.k.a. Kim Yoosik, was apprehended in Malate, Manila by the agency’s Organized and Transnational Crimes Division (OTCD) and the Bureau of Immigration-Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU) on Tuesday.
Official communication from Consul Yun Wonchang of the South Korean Embassy in Manila dated April 17, 2023 tagged Kim as a fugitive from justice.
A blue notice from the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) issued against Kim indicated that he has a warrant of arrest for fraud in violation of Article 347-(1) of the Criminal Act of Korea, for defrauding his victim with over KRW 10,000,000 in the form of an investment scam on Oct. 14, 2008.
The BI’s database also shows that Kim has active derogatory records under a blacklist order dated June 22, 2023, and watchlist order issued on April 5, 2023, both for undesirability, being a fugitive from justice.
Criminal records in the NBI’s database found the foreigner has an outstanding warrant of arrest for estafa. He was also previously charged with falsification of public documents, malicious mischief, grave threat, and damage to property, as well as human trafficking.
He is temporarily detained at the NBI-OTCD office for investigation and standard booking and arrest procedures, and will be turned over to the custody of BI-FSU.
Siblings nabbed for extortion
Meanwhile, the NBI-OTCD said it has arrested two siblings for defrauding a person of more than PHP2 million.
Wyeth and Leila Navalles were arrested in Guagua, Pampanga for robbery by extortion.
A complainant claimed he had hired Wyeth, a licensed Customs broker, to handle his importation process in the Philippines.
They agreed on an all-inclusive fee of PHP500,000.
However, despite a proper settlement of PHP220,938 in Customs duties and taxes, Wyeth claimed that the shipment was held due to a misdeclaration.
The siblings then demanded an additional PHP1.9 million in “grease money,” which they said would be distributed among various Bureau of Customs (BOC) divisions, as well as the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), to facilitate the release of the importation.
BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, for his part, lauded the arrest of the two suspects, saying it might finally shed light on how brokers have been namedropping BOC officers to extort money from other stakeholders.
“This has been a long-time modus among brokers. They would extort money from these companies and individuals, claiming that the money would be used as ‘padulas (grease)’ but then pocketing that money. These brokers have villainized the agency for their own gain,” he said in a separate statement.
“I wholeheartedly support missions and operations like this so these brokers can face the consequences of their actions, so our officers can regain their reputation, and so no company or individual who is making an honest living will fall victim to them again.”
The siblings will face charges of robbery with violence or intimidation of persons by way of extortion under the Revised Penal Code, according to the BOC. (With a report from Ferdinand Patinio/PNA)
