Two casino junket operators are under probe as suspected conduits for the P200 million paid as ransom for steel magnate Anson Que, who was kidnapped last March and then executed along with his driver Armanie Pabillo.
Officials of the Philippine National Police disclosed this development in reaction to calls from certain sectors for the PNP to follow the money trail in catching the perpetrators of the crime. A Chinese national alleged to be one of the masterminds has been caught, but several principal suspects remain at large.
PNP chief Gen. Rommel Marbil said the P200 million was funneled through 10 different e-wallet accounts and converted into cryptocurrency after passing through junket operators 9Dynasty Group and White Horse Club.
From corruption to drug trafficking, cyberscams and ransom kidnapping, the ability to enjoy the proceeds of crime drives many illegal activities. And when crime pays handsomely, impunity is guaranteed.
In Basilan over two decades ago, the kidnapping spree of the Abu Sayyaf was so lucrative there was widespread suspicion that even local government and military officials in the province were in cahoots with the bandits.
Abu Sayyaf chieftain Ghalib Andang, a.k.a. Commander Robot, and his cohorts earned millions of dollars from those kidnappings targeting mostly foreign tourists. Was any of the dirty money ever recovered?
Ex-PNP colonel Rafael Dumlao kidnapped South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo in the guise of a drug bust during the Duterte administration and collected P5 million in ransom. But Jee was still executed at Camp Crame and his cremated ashes were flushed down the toilet of a funeral parlor. The ransom was never recovered and Dumlao remains at large, despite conviction as the mastermind. Is his wife, who is in law enforcement, protecting him and enjoying the fruits of his grisly crime?
If the government wants to discourage more ransom kidnappings, perpetrators must be caught and the payments returned to the victims. The government must ensure not only that the killers of Que and Pabillo are captured and successfully prosecuted – and no fall guys, please – but also that the ransom is recovered.
No one must benefit in any way from breaking the law. The government must send a strong message that crime does not pay.