Suspected Boratong accounts frozen

The Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered five bank accounts owned by a bank manager but are believed used by alleged big-time drug dealer Amin Iman Boratong to stash his profits.

In a four-page resolution penned by Associate Justice Ricardo Rosario, the CA’s special second division granted the petition filed by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to prevent Godofredo Medenilla, bank manager of Equitable PCI Bank branch in Pasig City, from touching the money in those accounts and to enable authorities to examine them.

The CA ordered the accounts — one at the Equitable PCI branch and four in a Planters Development Bank — frozen for 20 days.

"Immediately upon receipt of the freeze order, Equitable PCI Bank and Planters Development Bank are directed to freeze the above-enumerated bank accounts, and to furnish the owner/s or holder/s of the bank accounts or investments with a copy of the ontice of the freeze order" the CA said.

The CA also ordered Equitable PCI Bank and Planters Development Bank to submit within 24 hours from receipt of the freeze order, by personal delivery to the CA and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), a detailed written return on the freeze order detailing the "account numbers; names of account owner/s or holder/s; the amount of the monetary instrument, property or related web of accounts at the time they were frozen; all relevant information as to the nature of the monetary instrument or property; an information on the related web of accounts pertaining to the monetary instrument or property subject of the freeze order and an explanation as to the grounds for identifying the related web of accounts."

The AMLC, in a resolution issued last Dec. 8, said Medenilla’s bank accounts in the Equitable PCI Bank in Pasig and the Planters Development Bank were allegedly being used to launder proceeds from Boratong’s illegal drug business, particularly profits from a so-called shabu tiangge in Pasig City that was raided by the police earlier this year.

"We resolve to grant the petition. Considering that Section 10 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, as amended, has conferred jurisdiction upon the Court of Appeals to issue a 20-day freeze order against monetary instruments or properties related to unlawful activity" the CA said.

"There is reasonable ground to believe that the bank accounts and investments of Godofredo A. Medenilla are related to the drug trafficking activities of Amin Imam Boratong’s group and that, unless stayed, advanced computer technology of the electronic banking system would make it possible for Godofredo A. Medenilla to dissipate the subject bank accounts in a matter of seconds, we order the issuance of a freeze order, effective immediately, for a period of 20 days, against the following bank accounts or investments, and their related web of accounts, in the name of Godofredo A. Medenilla," the CA said.

The AMLC had earlier filed a petition for forfeiture before the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 33 of assets of Boratong, Memie Sultan Boratong, Shieryl Molera, Sittie Sultan Saripada, Enoray Pitiilan Sultan, Abraham Rasuman and Amannodin Boratong.

In the course of the trial, one of the AMLC’s witnesses, Samer Maniri Palao, testified that Amin Imam Boratong had bank accounts in Equitable PCI Bank on Sixto Avenue, Capasigan Branch in Pasig City.

Palao said Boratong gave a monthly P50,000 payoff to the bank manager in exchange for his help.

Boratong’s wife, Memie, corroborated Palao’s statements and identified the manager as Jeffrey Medina.

Memie said, after the law enforcers raided the shabu tiangge, Medina advised her and Boratong to transfer their money to the accounts of their co-respondents Sittie Sultan Saripada and Enoray Pitiilan Sultan.

Based on these testimonies, the AMLC investigated further and discovered that the bank manager’s real name was Godofredo Medenilla.

Further investigation allegedly revealed that Medenilla had a number of bank accounts in Equitable PCI Bank in Pasig City and the Planters Development Bank that the AMLC suspects were being used by Boratong for money laundering.

Efforts by The STAR to reach Medenilla for comment were unsuccessful.

Last Nov. 28, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez granted the request of Boratong and his wife, Sheryl Molera, to be placed under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation for the duration of the trial.

In a memorandum order, Gonzalez said there is no legal impediment to grant Boratong and his wife’s request unless there is a court order specifying a place where they should be detained.

Boratong and his wife fear that someone might kill them if they were detained in Pasig.

Boratong, a native of Marawi City and whose illegal drug business has reportedly grown to P900 million since he started in 1997, was arrested last Nov. 22 in Makati by the NBI, Interpol and the Philippine National Police.