The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has recommended to the Department of Justice (DOJ) the filing of a case against two Bureau of Immigration (BI) officials involved in forging travel records of an Australian national who was executive of a controversial German payment company Wirecard.
NBI Officer-In-Charge (OIC) Director Eric Distor identified the suspects as Perry Michael Pancho, Immigration Officer assigned to Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA), and Marcus Nicodemus, IO at NAIA Terminal 1 in Pasay City.
Distor said that on June 25, 2020, they received the report of Jan Marsalek’s entry to the Philippines. The Australian national is involved in the $2.2 billion Wirecared fraud in Germany. Marsalek was fleeing from European authorities.
The NBI-International Airport Investigation Division (NBI-IAID) then conducted its own investigation. It was discovered that Marsalek arrived in the country on June 23 at NAIA Terminal 1 and was processed by IO Darren Ilagan but marked with “canceled by user.” Marsalek left the country on June 24 through the Mactan Cebu International Airport, which was processed by IO Perry Michael Pancho.
The investigation revealed that immigration officers committed the following violations: the entry of foreigners into the Philippines due to quarantine protocols caused by the pandemic; absence of scanned data in Marsalek’s passport; IO Ilagan is not on the official list of IOs on duty on the day Marsalek arrived and other immigration protocols.
Also read: Abu Sayyaf leader Susukan transferred to Camp Crame
NBI wants 2 BI officials charged for forging Wirecard exec’s travel records
When summoned by the NBI, only IO Ilagan came to the office. He said that his superiors, IO Supervisor Marcus Nicodemus, allegedly ordered the conduct of a “derogatory record check” on Marsalek. When he found out it was wrong, they put a “canceled user remark” to notify the next immigration officer.
Ilagan added that he was a victim of the “pabokol scheme” of his colleagues and superiors who asked for a seemingly simple plea for their own interests and interests.
Meanwhile, the German businessman who wanted for questioning over the Wirecard accounting scandal died here in the Philippines.
Christopher Reinhard Bauer died from “natural causes” on July 27 at a hospital in the capital Manila and was later cremated, Menardo Guevarra told AFP.
“He was the same person summoned by the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) in connection with the Wirecard fraud investigation,” he said.