Jay Sonza confirmed arrested for 'large-scale' illegal recruitment, Estafa

MANILA, Philippines — A spokesperson for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) confirmed that TV host Jay Sonza is currently detained after being arrested before boarding his flight to Hong Kong.

In a post by ABS-CBN reporter Zyann Ambrosio on X (formerly Twitter), BJMP Spokesperson Jayrex Bustinera said Sonza has been detained at the Quezon City Jail quarantine facility in Payatas, Quezon City.

BJMP Spokesperson Jayrex Bustinera, kinumpirma na nakakulong ngayon sa QC JAIL quarantine facility sa Payatas Quezon City ang dating newscaster at Talk show host na si Jay Sonza o si Jose Yumang Sonza, sa kasong Estafa at Syndicated & Large scale illegal recruitment @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/SOorpVc1aT

— zyann ambrosio (@ZyannAmbrosio) August 15, 2023

Earlier, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Assistant Director Glenn Ricarte confirmed that they had custody of Sonza before turning him over to the BJMP.

According to a separate report by ABS-CBN News, the controversial host was detained and arrested by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) two weeks ago. 

Ricarte said that Sonza was on his way to Hong Kong, but immigration officials stopped him from leaving the country because of a pending estafa case against him. 

BI detained Sonza after learning that there's an active warrant of arrest for him due to Syndicated Estafa and large-scale illegal recruitment. 

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