Another Aman suspect surrenders

MANILA, Philippines - Another suspect in the multibillion-peso investment scam of Aman Futures Group Philippines Inc. surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) last Monday.

Dhurwen Wenceslao surrendered to Sixto Comia, chief of the NBI Environmental and Wildlife Protection Investigation Division.

Wenceslao, along with Aman Future’s founder and owner Manuel Amalilio and other officials and employees of the investment firm, were charged with syndicated estafa after the company duped over 15,000 investors in Mindanao and the Visayas of more than P12 billion, reports said.

All the suspects have pending warrants of arrest issued by Judge Dennis Vicoy of the Pagadian City Regional Trial Court Branch 20.

Amalilio had slipped out of the country and is reportedly hiding in Malaysia.

Wenceslao is detained in the NBI jail in Manila.

“He is already in jail. We will turn him over to the Pagadian City Court. And we will be waiting for the commitment order from the court,” NBI Deputy Director for Regional Operations Services Virgilio Mendez said.

At present, nine accused in the Aman Futures scam are in the custody of the NBI.

The eight others are Aman president Fernando Luna, his wife Nimfa Caballero-Luna, and incorporators Donna Coyme, Lelian Lim Gan, Wilanie Fuentes, Nazelle Rodriguez, Eduardo Lim and Lurix Lopez.           

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed the charges after ruling in its preliminary investigation that Aman used false pretenses and fraudulent representations in order to lure the victims into investing money and causing damage to the complainants.

Aman officials were accused of defrauding investors when the firm lured investors by offering between 20 to 80 percent interest within eight weeks.