MANILA, Philippines — French animator and convicted pedophile Bouhalem Bouchiba, who was found guilty in France of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, had visited the Philippines several times, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Monday.
According to BI records, spokesperson Dana Sandoval said that Bouchiba made “at least five travels” to the Philippines.
Sandoval also confirmed that his last recorded visit to the country was in 2011.
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The Department of Justice has yet to respond to requests for information on whether it has instructed the National Bureau of Investigation to locate potential victims and investigate and file charges against any local accomplices, including money remittance centers, within the country.
However, NBI Director Jaime Santiago assured the public that the Philippine National Police had acted on the case.
“According to our counterpart in the Netherlands, the case was referred to the PNP. It was a mutual legal assistance case way back in 2021,” Santiago said.
Last week, a French court convicted the 59-year-old Bouchiba for ordering the rape of hundreds of preteen girls in the Philippines to be streamed live.
Bouchiba had worked on animated films for Pixar and Disney. The court found him to have paid for the rape and sexual assault of girls aged five to 10 years between 2012 and 2021. —Jane Bautista