NBI sues shipping firm execs for illegal recruitment

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has filed charges against five executives of an Italianowned shipping company for alleged illegal recruitment of Filipino seamen.

The NBI filed a complaint for syndicated and large-scale illegal recruitment against the officials of True Alliance Shipping Corp. (TASC) before the Mandaluyong City prosecutor’s office on Sept. 7.

Named respondents were the Italian incorporators of TASC Sergio Constantini and Maurizio Caselli as well as local officers Henry James Avecilla, Judith Cabrera and Lucky Philip Cabrera.

In a nine-page complaint, the NBI alleged that TASC used fake documents when it applied for a license to recruit maritime workers.

“The officers and employees of TASC should be held liable for illegal recruitment when they presented falsified Articles of Incorporation in their application for a license to operate a manning agency,” read the complaint signed by NBI National Capital Region chief Cesar Bacani.

Also charged were Mama Shipping SARL and Marine Partners Monaco, which supposedly contracted the services of maritime crewing service Oceanus as their agent in the Philippines and pirated employees of another shipping firm, Eagle Clarc Shipping Philip- pines Inc.

The NBI referred the complaint filed by Capt. Leopoldo Arcilla Sr., president and general manager of Eagle Clarc who also accused TASC and Oceanus of conspiracy in the falsification of documents.

The respondents were also charged with falsification of public documents after it was discovered that Caselli was not in the Philippines when the documents were signed and notarized. –