PNP arrests main suspect in Anson Que's kidnap-murder; still recovering ransom money
The Philippine National Police has arrested one of the main suspects behind the kidnapping and murder of Filipino-Chinese businessman Anson Que and his driver.
PNP spokesperson Jean Fajardo said Wenli Gong alias Kelly Tan Lim, and Wu Ja Ping were arrested at a resort in Boracay on May 17, according to The Philippine STAR.
Gong was the alleged mastermind, while Ping allegedly helped her hide.
Fajardo said Gong is in the custody of the Bureau of Immigration.
“Under custody na po natin si Kelly na alam po natin na malaki ang naging papel sa naging pagkidnap at eventually pagpatay kay Anson Que at ginoong Armanie Pabillo," Fajardo added, according to the Philippine News Agency. "Naniniwala tayo na maraming information. Sa ngayon ay hindi nagsasalita si Kelly, and we already sought the assistance po ng ating foreign counterparts from the Chinese Embassy to help ferret out the truth.”
Fajardo said authorities also found a full-face mask, which was suspected to have been used to hide Gong’s identity during their attempt to avoid arrest.
“Lumalabas na hairdresser itong si Jang Ping na allegedly na siya ang tumulong kay Kelly,” she said.
Fajardo noted that the case is considered "solved" with the arrest of Gong and Ping and the filing of criminal cases against them before the Department of Justice.
But the case is not yet closed, as they're still trying to recover the P200 million ransom money paid for by Que's family.
"Ongoing pa po ang pagtetrace natin with respect sa ransom money, dahil ang objective natin ay mabawi itong napakalaking pera na ibinayad ng family," Fajardo said.
Fajardo said the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group, in partnership with the AMLC, is working to recover the ransom money and has frozen around $205,000 (PhP11.4 million) believed to be part of the ransom.
According to authorities, Gong allegedly lured Que to the kidnapping site and used his phone to negotiate with his family.
David Tan Liao, a known associate of Que, was the alleged brains of the kidnapping, with Gong as his co-conspirator.
Tan allegedly coordinated the ransom’s transfer via junket operators and digital wallets, before getting converted into cryptocurrency.
Fajardo said authorities have been working with the Anti-Money Laundering Council, which has contacted its counterparts in Cambodia, after a significant portion of the ransom was traced to an alleged Cambodia-based Yuione e-wallet account.
“We opened a Pandora’s box. This case exposed how junket operations are being used to launder illicit funds,” Fajardo said.
The PNP believes junket operators were used to launder the ransom money, but Fajardo noted that the AMLC only has jurisdiction over casinos and not junket operators.
“The casino is required to report transactions above P5 million. But when it comes to junket operators, the responsibility falls on the casino,” Fajardo said.
The PNP is working with the Chinese embassy and international law enforcement agencies to identify those involved and determine their roles, including verifying whether the two individuals detained with Gong are really her parents.
Que, owner of Elison Steel in Valenzuela, and his driver Armanie Pabillo were kidnapped in Bulacan last March 29. According to the STAR, residents told police that two men wearing hoodies left his Lexus LM350 multi-purpose vehicle at around 4 p.m.
His death was confirmed on Thursday, April 10.
Tan and his driver's bodies were placed inside a nylon sack, and their faces were wrapped in duct tape. Their hands were also tied with nylon rope, per ABS-CBN News.
