CA extends freeze order on Aman bank accounts

MANILA, Philippines - The Court of Appeals (CA) yesterday extended the 20-day freeze order it issued on bank accounts of Aman Futures Group Phils. Inc.

In open court, the fourth division of the appellate court granted the motion of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), represented by the Office of the Solicitor General, for extension of the freeze order issued last Nov. 20, which was supposed to expire on Dec. 10.

Associate Justices Ramon Garcia, Amelita Tolentino and Danton Bueser unanimously approved the AMLC’s motion and extended the freeze order for six months or until June 10, 2013.

The AMLC sought the extension to prevent Aman head Manuel Amalilio, who is hiding in Malaysia, from getting amounts from the 25 bank accounts linked to the controversial trading firm that allegedly duped P2 billion from some 15,000 people in the Visayas and Mindanao.

In the same hearing, the banks submitted to the CA reports on the status of the bank accounts covered by the order.

The documents that tell how much are left in the accounts were, however, not made available to reporters.

Earlier, Pagadian City Mayor Samuel Co – a complainant turned respondent in the syndicated estafa charges undergoing preliminary investigation in the Department of Justice –  claimed that Amalilio was able to get millions from the bank accounts days before the freeze order was issued.

Frozen were bank accounts under the names of Amalilio, Aman Futures Group, Aman Future Trading, Aman Investment Opportunities, Okachi Futures Trading, Aman Air, Lurix Bitoon Lopez, Leilan Lim Gan, Uni Gen Future Exchange Marketing, Eduard Lecaros Lim, Wilanie Fuentes, Naezelle M. Rodriguez, Fernando Roda Luna, Fretz and Sha Trading, Rioklyn P. Toledo, Jerome John D. Valera, Jerome B. Sanchez, Nino Jorino D. Ledesma, Rico Crisostomo Medina Jr., Diosdado Manolo Yap Dybongco, Michelle Gaceta, Nimfa Caballero Luna and Asaza Auto Center.

The accounts were placed in Allied Banking Corp., Banco de Oro Unibank, Bank of Commerce, Bank of the Philippine Islands, BPI Family Savings Bank, China Banking Corp., Citibank N.A., Development Bank of the

Philippines, East West Banking Corp., Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp., Land Bank of the Philippines, Maybank Philippines, Metrobank Card Corp., Metropolitan and Trust Company, One Network Bank Inc., Orix Metro Leasing and Finance Company, Philippine Bank of Communications, Philippine Savings Bank, RCBC Savings Bank, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., Security Bank Corp., Standard Chartered Bank, Union Bank of the Philippines and United Coconut Planters Bank, Philippine National Bank and BPI Philam Life Assurance Corp.

The AMLC sought the freezing of the accounts pending preliminary investigation of the Department of Justice (DOJ) on charges of syndicated estafa and violations of Republic Act 8799 (Securities Regulation Code) against Aman and its executives and agents.