Aquino takes up Amalilio case with Malaysia

Manuel Amalilio. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

BUSAN, South Korea—There may be some good news for Filipinos regarding Manuel Amalilio, who is facing syndicated estafa charges in the Philippines for allegedly taking off with P12 billion in an investment scam in 2013.

President Benigno Aquino III said he discussed Amalilio’s case during his meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on the sidelines of the Asean-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit on Thursday.

“May I just tell you that we talked about Amalilio and there was a very good response from Prime Minister Najib,” Mr. Aquino told reporters here.

The President however declined to provide details, saying that he did not want to jinx the “nice development.”

Amalilio, also known as Kamal Bin Sa’id, fled to Malaysia before news broke that his company, Aman Futures, had duped 15,000 people, mostly in the Visayas and Mindanao, of P12 billion in a Ponzi scheme. He was arrested in Malaysia for possessing a fake Philippine passport last year and subsequently detained.

After serving time for the passport fraud, Amalilio was released in October, but Malaysian authorities rejected a request to extradite him to the Philippines.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima had said she would appeal Malaysia’s decision, adding that the government was committed to ensuring that Amalilio goes through the justice system for his alleged crimes in the Philippines.

Mr. Aquino said he and Najib also discussed common concerns, including the kidnapping of Malaysian citizens, but provided no further details.

In June, Malaysian fish farmer Chan Sai Chiun and a Filipino employee identified as Maslan were seized off the coast of Kunak in Sabah by armed men believed to be members of the Abu Sayyaf.

Chan was freed earlier this month, though officials have not confirmed if a ransom was paid.