DoJ hails wins vs money laundering, terrorism

The Department of Justice (DoJ) hailed the recent legal victories in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing with convictions in three cases.

In a statement, the DoJ said that last 30 July, Janet Lim Napoles was convicted in Criminal Case No. R-MNL-23-00244-CR. Judge Maria Victoria A. Soriano-Villadolid of the Regional Trial Court of Manila, Branch 24, found Napoles guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violating Section 4(a) of Republic Act No. 9160, also known as the “Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001,” as amended by Republic Act 10365. Napoles was sentenced to an indeterminate term of imprisonment of 7 to 14 years and was ordered to pay a fine of P16.0 million.

On 29 July, the Regional Trial Court of Angeles City, Branch 56, presided over by Judge Irin Zenaida S. Buan, found Xinli Chen guilty beyond reasonable doubt in Criminal Case Nos. R-ANG-21-00576 to 00610-CR. Chen was convicted of 35 counts of violating Section 4(a) of Republic Act 9160, as amended by Republic Act 10365. Chen was sentenced to 7 to 12 years of imprisonment for each count and was fined P3.0 million per count.

For Terrorism Financing, the Regional Trial Court of Tacloban City, Branch 45, under Judge Georgina Uy Perez, on 30 July, convicted Lucila Mabanan y Gabane in Criminal Case No. R-TAC-24-00481-CR.

Mabanan was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of attempting to commit the crime of financing terrorism, in violation of Section 5 of Republic Act 10168, also known as the “Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012.”

She was sentenced to an indeterminate prison term ranging from four months of arresto mayor medium as the minimum to 2 years, 10 months, and 20 days of prision correctional medium as the maximum.

The DoJ extends its heartfelt appreciation to the dedicated prosecutors and acknowledges the exceptional leadership of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” C. Remulla for guiding these efforts.

“These achievements are a clear demonstration of our serious commitment to exiting the Financial Action Task Force greylist and set a strong foundation for further convictions,” Remulla said.