Interpol red notice issued vs. MFT Group's Maria Francesca Tan, says SEC

Interpol has issued a red notice against Maria Francesca "Mica" Tan, chief executive of the MFT Group of Companies Inc., for supposedly operating a fraudulent investment scheme, the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) said.


The SEC said the international alert was published in response to its request, as Tan faces a standing warrant of arrest issued by the Taguig City Regional Trial Court for violations of the Securities Regulation Code.

A red notice requests law enforcement agencies across the globe to locate and provisionally arrest a person, as such individuals are wanted by the requesting member country or international tribunal. It is based on an arrest warrant or a court order from the requesting country, but is itself not an arrest warrant.

Among the violations cited are those regarding selling or offering securities without a registration filed with and approved by the SEC; engaging in any act, transaction, practice or course of business that operates as fraud; and registration as a broker or dealer.

GMA News Online has reached out to Tan's legal counsel for comment.

An arrest warrant against Tan was also filed by a court in Lipa City, Batangas last year for syndicated estafa with no bail recommended, stemming from a criminal complaint filed by the SEC before the Department of Justice (DOJ) in April 2024.

“Under the scheme, MFT Group, which later transitioned to Foundry Ventures, promised investors a guaranteed return ranging from 12% to 18% of the amount invested. Their investments will allegedly be used to finance the purchase orders for projects of the companies’ subsidiaries,” the SEC said.

“Additionally, prosecution said the investment-taking activity of MFT Group and Foundry Ventures is similar to a Ponzi scheme, a type of investment fraud that uses the contributions of new investors as payment for returns to existing investors,” it added. — BM, GMA News