THE BUREAU of Immigration (BI) is set to deport a convicted Korean swindler who was arrested in Pampanga, more than a year after he fled to the Philippines to evade serving his jail sentence.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the 48-year-old Chong Won Sok was apprehended last week inside the Clark Freeport zone in Angeles City by operatives from the BI fugitive search unit (FSU).
Chong was arrested on the strength of a warrant which the BI chief issued against the Korean for being an undesirable and undocumented alien.
Morente said Chong has been illegally staying here due to cancellation of his passport by the South Korean government.
BI intelligence chief Bobby Raquepo said Chong had hidden in the country since March last year while the fraud charges against him was being investigated by prosecutors.
“Last May 29, a Korean court sentenced him to one year in prison and he became the subject of an Interpol red notice after authorities learned that he had fled to the Philippines,” Raquepo added.
According to information from Korean authorities, Chong was convicted for swindling nearly 35 million won from a compatriot in August 2016 by making his victim believe that he could work out a 2.2 billion loan for the latter’s housing construction project.
Instead of securing the promised loan, the suspect absconded with the victim’s money and fled Manila to evade the criminal complaint lodged against him.
It was also learned that Chong was previously sent to jail on other fraud charges in 2010 and 2013. (Jun Ramirez)
