THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 yesterday arrested five Korean nationals in Naga City, Cebu for estafa.
Lawyer Ernesto Macabare, NBI 7 executive officer, said they served the warrant of arrest on Kim Chan Gyu, Jang Jae Yeong, Nam Ki Hoon, Cha Sang Go and Choi Sun Wok in their office at SPC-Kepco Power Plant in Naga City around 10 a.m.
Macabare said the five Korean nationals did not resist arrest. At the NBI 7 office, the respondents refused to give statement to the media.
They were accompanied by their lawyers in processing their document to post their bail. Their lawyers also declined media interviews.
At past 4 p.m., the respondents, accompanied by their counsels, went to Palace of Justice and posted bail of P60,000 each.
The respondents were later released after Judge Meinrado Paredes of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 13 signed their release order late yesterday afternoon.
The five arrested Korean nationals were among of 10 Koreans who were sued by their fellow countrymen for estafa last April for failure to pay them about P52 million.
The other respondents are Lee Chan Gyu, Choi Jin Young, Lee Yeon Woo, Choi Young Bong and Lim Bong Gil.
Two of the respondents were reportedly also able to post bail yesterday, while the three others remained at large as of press
time.
Judge Leoncio Jamulo Jr. of RTC Branch 264 in Pasig City signed the warrant of arrest of the respondents.
A companion of the complainant, who only introduced himself as Mr. Kim, told reporters the 10 respondents are all officers of Korea-based Doosan Heavy Industry, Inc. and Shiloh International Corp., which are the major contractors of SPC-Kepco Power Plant in Naga City.
Kim said the respondents hired their firm, JB Special Industry, as sub-contractor to construct the coal-handling system of SPC-Kepco in October last year.
But when JB Special Industry billed the respondents about P52 million for the work rendered, they refused to pay them.
“They just don’t feel like paying us,” said Kim.
rKim said they could not just proceed with the construction of the project because of the failure of the respondents to pay.
Kim said their company’s equipment remain idle inside the power plant since they had to suspend work for lack of funds.
Kim also urged the NBI 7 to check the working documents and visa of the respondents and their workers at SPC-Kepco Power Plant in Naga City.