28 October 2002
The Philippines
Philippine Court ordered a Korean businessman to be arrested for allegedly cheating a cargo and forwarding company in Bajada with a total of P2.7 million in supposed payments in two separate occasions last year. The Regional Trial Court issued the arrest warrant against Hian Tat Chew, proprietor of Chen Hong Marine Products situated at the Davao Fishport Complex in Daliao, Toril, in connection with two pending swindle cases. Judge William Layague of RTC Branch 14 set a total bond of P80,000 for the temporary liberty of the Korean for both charges.
Government prosecutors had already indicted Chew earlier for issuing two Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company (Metrobank) checks on July 28 and 31, 2001 to South Pacific Cargo Express Corp. South Pacific Managing Director Elias Gamorot reportedly tried to cash the checks, the second of which was worth almost P2.2 million, but they were not accepted by Metrobank for having insufficient funds. Gamorot informed that the Korean issued an initial check worth P495,000 on July 28, 2001 as payment for the latter’s cartons and fresh tuna export.
Three days later, Chew reportedly issued another check worth P2,178,000 to South Pacific which was also not accepted by the bank. Despite repeated demands for Chew to settle his accounts, the Korean refused to fund the checks, prompting South Pacific to file fraud charges against him.
