Court of Appeals extends freeze on Dominguez brods' bank accounts

MANILA, Philippines - The Court of Appeals (CA) has extended for six months the 20-day freeze order it issued last month on the bank accounts of alleged carjacking ringleaders Raymond and Roger Dominguez.

In a resolution issued last June 28, the second division of the appellate court junked the bid of the Dominguez brothers to have the June 3 freeze order lifted for their failure to counter evidence presented by Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

“In fact, private respondents did not specifically dispute the allegations of the AMLC in its petition regarding the existence of the subject bank accounts and the transactions made on these accounts,” stated the ruling penned by Associate Justice Michael Elbinias. Associate Justices Remedios Salazar-Fernando and Celia Librea-Leagogo concurred.

The court added that there is an urgent need to extend the freeze order considering that the amounts left in the bank accounts and deposits of the respondents that were ordered frozen are significantly small, as reflected in the returns based on the returns submitted by the subject banks.

The earlier freeze order, which was sought by AMLC in connection to the car theft and homicide charges they are facing for the killings of car dealers Venson Evangelista and Emerson Lozano last January, only covered 20 days.

Apart from the brothers’ bank accounts, the CA also ordered the following frozen: the bank accounts of Enrique Carl Lopez, Megalizer Agri Products Inc., Benigno Buzon Victorino, Myvanwy Magsino, Leopoldo Dominguez, Vicenta Dominguez, Betty Dominguez, Angeline Samonte-Yap (also known as former starlet Katrina Paula), Athens Samonte-Yap and Jayson Miranda.

In February, the Lozano family asked the AMLC to freeze the bank accounts and assets of the Dominguez brothers, including those of Paula, Raymond’s rumored girlfriend.