DAVAO CITY — Indonesian authorities turned over Hector Aldwin Liao Pantollana, a Filipino fugitive facing multiple criminal cases, to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Anti-Organized Crime Unit (CIDG-AOCU) on November 28, 2024, at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta.
The transfer, led by Police Colonel Retno Prihawati of INTERPOL Jakarta, took place at Terminal 2 of the airport and involved Philippine law enforcement officials, including Police Lieutenant Colonel Jose Joey Arandia and the Philippine Police Attaché. Pantollana, accompanied by his lawyer, Atty. Ma. Antonia Dela Cruz Pascual, boarded Cebu Pacific flight 5J760 to Manila, which arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 at 5:40 a.m. on the same day.
Upon his arrival, the CIDG personnel served his warrants of arrest
- Criminal Case No. R-PSY-20-02780-CR (Estafa): Issued by Pasay City RTC Branch 117 with bail set at Php 108,000.
- Criminal Case Nos. 47474-R to 77-R (Syndicated Estafa): Issued by Baguio City RTC with no bail recommended.
Additional warrants from other courts were also executed. Pantollana was informed of his rights, and the process was documented using body-worn cameras, in line with Supreme Court guidelines.
Pantollana was transported to CIDG Headquarters at Camp BGen Rafael T. Crame in Quezon City for documentation and is now detained at the Anti-Organized Crime Unit facility pending further legal proceedings.
Earlier on the e Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has lodged a criminal complaint against casino junket operator Pantollana and his group for alleged money laundering activities.
Pantollana’s group was earlier reported to have defrauded over 10,000 individuals in the Cordillera and surrounding regions of P4 billion, promising a five percent monthly return and an additional two percent for those who recruited new investors.
The SEC stated that Pantollana was involved in a Ponzi scheme that promised high returns for investing in the casino junket industry — which recruits high rollers to gamble.
On May 31, the SEC charged Pantollana’s organizations—Philippine National ESports League, Horizon Players Club, and Team Z—with violations of the Securities Regulation Code (SRC) and the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA). The charges include selling unregistered securities and operating without the necessary licenses.
Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III in a statement said the string of estafa cases filed against the suspect reached P70-Billion from different complainants.
Torre III in a statement said the successful operation showed the close collaboration between Philippine and Indonesian authorities, facilitated by INTERPOL, in apprehending individuals involved in transnational crimes.
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