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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider The Stock Market devider Interpol joins hunt for MFT Group CEO Mica Tan

Interpol joins hunt for MFT Group CEO Mica Tan

Published Jun 18, 2026 04:04 pm
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has issued a Red Notice against Maria Francesca Tan in an effort to bring her before Philippine courts for her alleged role in a large-scale fraudulent investment scheme.
Published on May 25, the Red Notice requested by the SEC alerts global law enforcement to locate and provisionally arrest a wanted individual pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. The notice is based on an arrest warrant or court order issued by judicial authorities in the requesting country.
Tan, the chief executive officer of the Maria Francesca Tan (MFT) Group of Companies, Inc., faces a standing warrant of arrest issued by the Taguig City Regional Trial Court Branch 70 for violations of Sections 8, 26, and 28 of the Securities Regulation Code (SRC), read in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
Specifically, Section 8 of the SRC prohibits selling or offering securities without a registration statement duly filed with and approved by the SEC. Section 26.3 makes it unlawful to engage, directly or indirectly, in any act, transaction, practice, or course of business that operates as a fraud or deceit upon any person. Meanwhile, Section 28 requires all individuals engaged in buying or selling securities to be registered with the SEC as a broker or dealer.
A court in Lipa City, Batangas, also issued an arrest warrant against Tan in March 2025 for syndicated estafa, with no bail recommended.
The legal actions stem from a criminal complaint filed by the SEC before the Department of Justice in April 2024 against the MFT Group and Foundry Ventures I, Inc. over illegal investment-taking activities. State prosecutors subsequently indicted Tan, along with officers of the MFT Group and Foundry Ventures, in May 2025.
Under the alleged scheme, the MFT Group—which later transitioned to Foundry Ventures—promised investors guaranteed returns ranging from 12 percent to 18 percent. These funds were ostensibly meant to finance purchase orders for projects run by the companies’ subsidiaries.
However, the prosecution stated that the investment-taking activity of the MFT Group and Foundry Ventures resembles a Ponzi scheme—a type of investment fraud that uses the contributions of new investors to pay returns to earlier participants. (James A. Loyola)

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Maria Francesca Tan (MFT) Group of Companies Inc. Securities and Exchange Commission
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