FOREIGN ‘SCAMMERS’ FREED ON BAIL

A Regional Trial Court acting presiding judge signed the release orders of the Taiwanese nationals. The foreigners were arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation in November last year.

The Cebu City Jail has released the Taiwanese nationals who were caught for running an online scam last year after the court granted their petition to post bail.

Deputy City Jail Warden Bryanroy Mercado, in a phone interview yesterday, said the foreigners gained temporary liberty last Tuesday night.

The police officer said 19 of those freed were males while two were females.

Mercado said Regional Trial Court Branch 17 Acting Presiding Judge Marivic Trabajo-Daray signed the release orders of the Taiwanese nationals.

Daray set the bail at P24,000 for each of the accused.

The foreigners are facing cases for violating Section 4 of Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

The law punishes persons who commit computer-related offenses such as forgery, fraud and identity theft, among others.

The Taiwanese were caught by the agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Central Visayas in a subdivision in Barangay Guadalajara, Cebu City last Nov. 21.

They were operating an on- line scam in a five-storey house starting in August last year.

The NBI seized several cellular phones, cords, transmitter receivers, documents, computers and other items inside the house.

Most of the group’s alleged victims were active and retired Taiwanese government officials, whose financial records were retrieved by the suspects’ cohorts.

Some of these victims, too, have pending criminal cases in courts.

Representatives from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office and Taiwanese police were present during NBI’s operation.