A 64 year-old Japanese was arrested by immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Monday, the bureau reported on Friday.

In a report, BI-NAIA Terminal 3 Head Supervisor Dennis Javier identified the Japanese passenger as Makoto Shinoda who was attempting to board an Etihad Airways flight to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates when he was intercepted due to a deportation case against him for being an undesirable alien.

The case against Shinoda stems from a complaint filed by two other Japanese nationals who accused him of defrauding them of more than one million US dollars in a bogus real estate venture.

The complainants stated that the victims were lured into investing US$1.023 million in a construction project along Molino Boulevard in Bacoor City, Cavite, which Shinoda allegedly had no intention of completing.

Javier said the immigration officer processing Shinoda’s departure flagged him after a positive match appeared in the BI’s derogatory record system noting that he was on the bureau’s watchlist and was wanted for deportation.

“He was immediately referred for secondary inspection, where our supervisors confirmed that he was indeed the same individual listed in the watchlist order,” he said.

Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado lauded the immigration officers, emphasizing that their quick action prevented a foreign national facing serious allegations from fleeing the country and evading his legal accountabilities.

“Once deportation proceedings are completed, he will be sent back to Japan and permanently barred from returning to the Philippines due to his status as an undesirable alien,” he stated.

Shinoda was then turned over to the BI’s Border Control and Intelligence Unit (BCIU) and transferred to the BI detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City where he will be detained while awaiting for the outcome of his deportation proceedings. Robina Asido/DMS