Nabbed Chinese, Korean fugitives to be deported

Bureau of Immigration. INQUIRER PHOTO/ ALEXIS CORPUZ

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) is set to deport a Chinese national and two other Korean nationals wanted for crimes in their country.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said on Sunday that the three foreign nationals were nabbed in separate operations last week in the provinces of Mindoro and Cebu.

The Chinese national, identified as Xu Chongchao, was the first one to fall into the hands of the bureau’s fugitive search unit.

Xu was arrested last July 13 in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro and is wanted in China for large scale economic crimes.

Meanwhile, Jeon Junbeom was nabbed in his residence in Lapu Lapu City in Cebu last July 15.

“Jeon is allegedly subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Joongang district court in Seoul where he was accused of defrauding his compatriots of some more than 563 million Korean won or nearly US$5 million through his swindling activities,” Morente said in a statement.

On the same that Jeon was arrested, another Korean national, who was identified as Joung Ho Jin was arrested by agents of the BI.

Joung was arrested following a warrant filed against him dated October 5, 2017 “for being a fugitive from justice and for being an undocumented alien.”

Morente said that the Korean Embassy also has a standing warrant against Joung in Seoul district for fraud charges and for being listed in the Interpol’s red notice list.

“We will expel and send them back to their countries so they could be tried and penalized for their crimes. The Philippines is not a hideout or a sanctuary for wanted criminals,” Morente said.

All three foreign nationals are currently detained in the BI’s Warden Facility in Taguig pending their deportation. /je