By Jun Ramirez
Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers have intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) an overstaying Saudi Arabian national wanted by authorities in his country for fraud and embezzlement.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
In a report to Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, BI port operations chief Grifton Medina identified the passenger as Bandar Hamdi Alshalwi, 44, who was nabbed recently at the NAIA I terminal before he could flee by boarding a Saudia Airlines flight to Jeddah.
Alshawi was offloaded from his flight and turned over to the BI warden facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.
“Our officers found that he was blacklisted by the BI on July 16, 2015 at the request of Saudi authorities and ordered his summary deportation for being a fugitive and undesirable alien,” Medina said.
He added that Alshawi fled and overstayed in the country for more than six years, arriving here on Sept. 16, 2014.
Alshawi allegedly absconded a compatriot with more than US$2 million, purportedly his service fee for recruiting Filipino domestic helpers for the victim which never materialized
A warrant of arrest has been issued against him by the Saudi Arabia’s Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution.
He is expected to be deported immediately to his homeland where he could face a jail sentence of up to two years if found guilty of the crime.