Two Japanese arrested for not allegedly declaring money charged before prosecutor
Two Japanese were arrested for allegedly not declaring large sums of money Tuesday night, the Bureau of Customs said.
The Bureau of Customs filed charges against them at the Pasay City Prosecutors Office Wednesday for violation of Sec. 1401, 1403 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act of 2016 (CMTA) in relation to BSP Circular 308 Series of 2001 and R.A. 7653 (New Central Bank Act).
''We filed charges against them and the inquest proceedings will be done online. We are waiting for the fiscal to give us the schedule for the online inquest,'' Customs spokesman Vincent Maronilla told dzBB Wednesday night.
''We have to charge them because bringing money by a foreigner or Filipino equivalent to $10,000 has to be declared,'' added Maronilla.
Six armed men, who appeared at the NAIA Terminal 2 Tuesday night, claiming they were members of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and were to take custody of the two, are being investigated by the police Aviation Security Group.
The two Japanese are being held at the Bureau of Customs office near the airport.
''They (two Japanese) are under our custody. They are in the holding center of the Enforcement and Security Service here at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Bureau of Customs,'' said Maronilla.
The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service said the two, who arrived from Narita Wednesday abroad PAL flight PR 427, were told to open their hand carried bags which yielded 100,645,000 yen ($877,367 or P 44,833,486).
'We have seizure proceedings for the Japanese yen valued 100, 645,000,'' said Maronilla, who added they received a tip from Interpol about the two.
In a report, the Airport Police Department said close to midnight a standoff took place between six men who identified themselves as Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) personnel and Customs personnel.
Customs then asked the help of airport police, Pasay City police and Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group. The Aviation Security Group told Customs and airport police the six men were not CIDG personnel.
Lt. Col. Mon Sawan, CIDG spokesperson, said their investigation revealed the people who figured in a standoff with the airport police were not policemen but ''civilians''.
The two Japanese were turned over to Customs personnel and six of the alleged CIDG men are being investigated. DMS
