Rufa Mae Quinto confirmed to have arrest warrant in connection to Dermacare issue
Rufa Mae Quinto has a standing warrant of arrest in relation to the issue hounding Dermacare, the same company involved in Neri Miranda’s arrest.
Quinto's lawyer, Atty. Mary Louise Reyes, confirmed the news to PhilSTAR L!fe, saying the actress is being charged with 14 counts of violation of Securities Regulation Code’s Section 8.
Section 8 of the SRC states that securities "shall not be sold or offered for sale or distribution within the Philippines, without a registration statement duly filed with and approved by the Commission."
“We will not dodge the issue. Miss Quinto has nothing to hide,” Reyes told L!fe. “In fact, she is also a victim.”
This comes a few days after it was revealed that a "bigger endorser" is facing the same lawsuit as Miranda, who got arrested in late November for alleged estafa and violation of the SRC. Her cases reportedly stemmed from her endorsement urging dozens of individuals to invest big amounts of money in Dermacare.
Atty. Roberto Labe, who represents 39 clients who filed the cases against Miranda and others, said his clients were "enticed" into putting millions of pesos into Dermacare despite its lack of license to solicit investments.
According to him, his clients from Quezon City, Pasay City, Sta. Rosa City in Laguna, and Batangas City filed the cases against Miranda and six members of the board of directors of Dermacare-Beyond Skincare Solutions. Their investments reached P89 million, with one client investing in 2022. He said his clients ended up getting bouncing checks in 2023.
Labe, in another interview with GMA's 24 Oras last week, revealed that another celebrity has been slapped with a similar complaint without specifying who it was.
"Kinasuhan po namin ma'am ay lahat ng board of directors nila doon sa Dermacare Corporation na 'yun plus lahat po ng mga endorser. Siguraduhin po sana natin na 'yung ine-endorse nating produkto or corporation or services ay legitimate po," he said. "Sabi nga po ng aking mga kliyente, kung bakit po sila ay lalong nagtiwala sa corporation na 'yun dahil alam po nilang matino naman po 'yung mga artistang endorser."
Reyes said Quinto is set to release an official statement on the matter on Tuesday, Dec. 3.
