Feb 8, 2013- Attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail has directed the Malaysian authorities to “check and freeze” all financial records and assets of a suspect, pertaining to a RM895 million cheating case in the Philippines.
In a statement in Kuala Lumpur today, he said the Attorney-General’s Chambers was committed to assist in all prosecution against any criminal, regardless of citizenship.
“Yesterday, the Attorney-General’s Chambers received a formal request from the Philippine Department of Justice for mutual legal assistance on criminal matters.
“This request is currently being handled by the international affairs division of Attorney-General’s Chambers,” he added.
Abdul Gani (right) said on Wednesday, a meeting was held at his office between him and the Philippine Department of Justice Deputy Minister Jose Vicente B Salazar, Philippine ambassador to Malaysia J Eduardo Malaya, first secretary of the Philippine embassy in Malaysia, Maria Antonina Oblena, and political attache of the Philippine embassy in Malaysia Joy Calip.
“During the meeting, Salazar requested that the suspect be extradited to the Philippines to face criminal charges and a freezing order on the assets, savings and investments owned by the suspect and persons related to him,” he said.
Earlier reports said the suspect, Muhammad Kamal Sa’aid aka Mohamad Sufian Saaid or Manuel Karingal Amalilio, was on the Philippine government’s ‘wanted list’ for allegedly cheating RM895 million through a get-rich-quick scheme.
When the Philippine government ordered his arrest last November, he fled to Sabah.
Earlier media reports also said Amalilio was arrested on Jan 22 this year, in Ranau, Sabah and the Malaysian police found that he was on the Philippine government’s wanted list.
The Philippine authorities then sent a team to Sabah to bring Amalilio back to the Philippines to face charges there.
However, 10 minutes before Amalilio and agents from the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation boarded the plane to the Philippines, the Malaysian police stopped them.
That was because investigations revealed his Philippine passport to be a fake, and that in reality, he was a Malaysian.
Therefore, deporting him to the Philippines had to be made in accordance with the Mutual Assistance Criminal Matters Act 2002.
Abdul Gani said, on Jan 25, Amalilio was arrested by the Malaysian police at Terminal Two, Kota Kinabalu International Airport in Sabah for possession of a fake foreign passport.
He said the arrest was to enable investigations under section 12(1)(d) of the Passport Act 1966.
“Subsequently, Amalilio was charged on Feb 4, and he pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment by the magistrate’s court on the same day,” added the attorney-general.
BERNAMA
