The Bureau of Immigration is preparing deportation papers against an overstaying Korean woman who is wanted in her home country for swindling.
54-year-old Eom Jae Hwa was arrested by the Bureau of Immigration in Clark Field, Angeles City, Pampanga, last Sunday.
Hwa was arrested on a warrant that was issued against her on December 2, 2015.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said: “This should serve as a warning to other wanted foreign criminals to stop using the Philippines as a sanctuary or refuge. The long arm of the law will catch you and the Bureau of Immigration is leading the charge.”
Immigration officials said that Hwa was hiding in the country for more than five years after she fled Korea to evade prosecution for her crimes.
Her failure to extend her tourist visa and renew her passport classifies her as an illegal alien.
A spokesperson for the Bureau of Immigration said that Hwa is wanted in connection with the transaction she had entered into on February 28,2011 with a company in Pohang, South Korea.
That contract involved the delivery of five sets of biodiesel production machines to China – the machines were to be exported and delivered by Hwa but she never paid for them as she had promised.
Officials said she fled to Manila three months later and hid in the Philippines until she was arrested last Sunday in Clark Field.
BI officials said that several tips led to her arrest after she was frequently spotted at the former Clark base in Angeles City.