Two suspected members of crime ring deported to Japan
By Robina Asido
Two of four suspected members of a crime ring tagged in violent robberies in Japan have been deported on Tuesday morning.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla formally announced the deportation of the two Japanese in a press conference at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 in Pasay City.
"Today, we deport Imamura Kiyoto and Fujita Toshiya as they have been cleared of any legal impediment. They will be on Japan Airlines flight 746 which is set to depart at 9:40am to Narita, Japan," he said.
Two other suspects that will be deported to Japan are Tomonobu Saito and Yuki Watanabe whose criminal cases were dismissed by a Pasay court on Tuesday morning.
According to the Bureau of Immigration, both Fujita and Imamura have been tagged by the Japanese government as fugitives from justice having warrants issued against them.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department suspects that the four include senior members of a special fraud group that is believed to have caused fraud losses totaling over 6 billion yen and may have also been involved in the spate of robbery cases.
It will work on elucidating the entire incidents including by analyzing mobile phones confiscated in the Philippines.
Among the four, Watanabe is apparently a leader figure of the group based in the Philippines, according to investigative sources.
Fujita was apprehended by the BI Fugitive Search Unit at Barangay Anilao Proper in Mabini, Batangas last February 21, 2021, and has been tagged by Japanese authorities as a senior member of an organized fraud group.
An arrest warrant reportedly was issued against him in Tokyo while Imamura was arrested a day after Christmas in 2019, after attempting to depart at the NAIA Terminal 3, via a Cebu Pacific flight bound for Macau. He reportedly faces a warrant of arrest in Japan for theft.
The criminal charge of anti-violence against women against Kiyoto was dismissed in Makati court on January 25, 2023 and the cases against Fujita Toshiya, which include one case of anti-violence against women, two cases of estafa, another case of light threats were dismissed in time for his deportation.
The two suspects wearing black shirts and blue shorts were transported from the detention center of the Bureau of Immigration in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City to NAIA Terminal 1 in Pasay City at 7:35 am and formally turned over to the officials of the Japanese government while Remulla held his media briefing around 8:30am.
Remulla said the suspects were escorted by nine Japanese police accredited by the Interpol during their flight from Manila to Narita, via Japan Airlines flight 746 which left around 9:40am.
"There were 16 Japanese police who arrived last night, and nine will accompany the two deportees in the flight today and the rest will be left for the ensuing flight which hopefully will happen tomorrow," he said.
"The remaining Japanese police together with a few embassy officials will proceed to the BI for the turn over of evidence, the telephones and other personal effects," he added.
Remulla said the evidence placed at the storage area at the Bureau of Immigration was formally turned over to the Japanese police together with the officials of the Japan Embassy around 11 am.
The evidence includes 24 cellular phones and tablets owned by the four robbery suspects that are subject for the deportation request of the Japanese government.
"A total of 24 (cellphones and tablets) were taken by our immigration people so that these will undergo forensic examination by the Japanese police, only from the four (suspects), 24 pieces of telephone were taken from them," he said.
Remulla said "ahead of our President’s visit to Japan, we at the Department, together with the Bureau of Immigration and the National Bureau of Investigation hope that this will not only strengthen the ties between the Philippine and Japanese Governments, we hope that this shows the sincerity and genuine effort to curb any illicit or illegal maneuvers meant to erode the credibility of our justice system."
"Finally, let this serve as a signal to the international community that we are willing to cooperate in the fight against criminality. The Philippines continues to fight a common enemy," he said.
Remulla also mentioned that the Philippine government is looking at reviewing all the cases of foreigners waiting for deportation at the detention facility of the Bureau of Immigration.
"We are looking to review all the cases of all the people detained in the BI and we want to make a proper accounting of all of them so this thing never happens again," he said.
"That (contrived cases) is also happening even in other nationalities so it became a standard way of practicing law in the Immigration department which we are not allowing anymore it will not happen again, for other people who supposed to be deported now we will conduct an inventory of cases against them and make sure that this will dealt with properly," he added. With JIJI
