A South Korean swindler wanted in his country for defrauding a number of his compatriots of more than US$550 million was arrested after five years of hiding in the Philippines, the Bureau of Immigration said.
The Korean, identified as Choi Youngseop is now detained at the BI detention facility in Bicutan following his arrest in Resorts World Hotel and Casino along Newport Blvd., Pasay City by operatives of the bureau’s fugitive search unit.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said Choi has been on the BI’s wanted list for almost five years since the BI board of commissioners ordered his summary deportation order for being an undesirable alien.
“He is also an overstaying and undocumented alien as he never bothered to extend his stay since he arrived in Manila in July 2013,” Morente said, adding that the fugitive’s passport was already canceled by the Korean government.
The BI board said that Choi’s presence in the country is unwanted and undesirable as he poses a risk to public interest.
BI intelligence officer and FSU chief Bobby Raquepo disclosed that Choi was ordered expelled in 2014 after the Interpol in Seoul, through the Korean embassy in Manila, sought his deportation so he could stand trial in his country.
Raquepo said Choi was charged with large-scale fraud for victimizing many Koreans who were enticed to invest their money after being promised with high returns.
“Instead, he absconded with the money, amounting to more than US$550,000 and fled to the Philippines,” Raquepo said.
BI spokesperson lawyer Antonette Bucasas-Mangrobang said Choi has been placed on the immigration blacklist to prevent him from re-entering the Philippines.
Mangrobang added that the bureau is now securing the required clearances and his travel document from the Korean embassy to facilitate his immediate departure for Korea.