By Jeffrey Damicog
Criminal complainants have been filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against 16 persons involved in a multi-million peso investment scam.
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Dante Gierran said the Bureau filed the complaints last August 24 against those connected with the Wahana Credit and Loan Corporation (WCLC).
(PIXABAY / MANILA BULLETIN)
Those named as respondents are Ma. Lysa Soler, Salve Anahaw, Nicole Barrera, Rhiza Anahaw, Mharina Pelagio, Rose Ann Tolentino, Nora Bartolata, Zaide Mendoza, Rochelle Reyes, Jemmar Bartolata, Engelyn Videna, Raymond Ofalla, Gem Solis, Judith Zafra, Mico Barrera and Marecristella Merida Marcelo.
Under the complaints, the respondents are accused of having committed estafa in violation of Presidential Decree 1689.
Gierran said that what was filed was just the first batch of complaints and assured that the second and third batches will be filed before the DOJ within the week.
The case stemmed from complaints that the NBI received early this year that Wahana has been involved in an investment scam.
Complainants said that Wahana has been offering investments in exchange of weekly earnings ranging from 7 to 12 percent in interest from the company’s casino financing scheme.
Apart from this, complainants were also promised that they can also earn P20,000 from every referrals they make and that the interests may be withdrawn upon demand.
However, Gierran said that Wahana and its affiliates—Wahana Multi-Purpose Band and Barrera Management Consultancy--“stopped returning their investments despite complainants’ demands.”
Apart from this, he added that “those companies are not registered with the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), hence not authorized to publicly offer or sell securities and to solicit investments from the public.”