2 suspects in Anson Que kidnap-slay arrested in Boracay

Authorities arrested in Boracay two other suspects in the kidnap-slay of Chinese businessman Anson Que, also known as Anson Tan.

The suspects, who are foreign nationals, were arrested by operatives of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, according to Police Lieutenant General Edgar Okubo, head of the special investigation task group probing the case, Unang Balita reported Monday.

In a press briefing, PNP spokesperson Brigadier General Jean Fajardo identified one of the arrested suspects as Wenli Gong, an alleged co-mastermind.

A bounty was set for Gong, also known as Kelly Tan Lim, Bao Wenli, Axin, and Huang Yanling.

The other suspect was Wu Ja Ping, Gong’s alleged hairdresser, believed to help her disguise herself to avoid authorities. 

Authorities also recovered mobile phones, which are subject to a cyber warrant.

“Pinaniniwala natin na si Kelly ay may alam doon sa pinagsalin-salin na mga ransom using e-wallets until such time na mai-transfer at convert sa cryptocurrency,” Fajardo said.

(We believe Kelly knows something about the transfer of the ransom money using e-wallets until such time it was transferred and converted to cryptocurrency.)

Fajardo said the two arrested suspects are undergoing inquest proceedings. 

“Sa ngayon, hindi nagsasalita si Kelly and we already sought the assistance ng ating foreign counterparts sa Chine Embassy to help us know the truth dito sa dalawang tao na under our custody,” she said. 

(Right now, Kelly is not cooperating, and we have already sought the assistance of our foreign counterparts in the Chinese Embassy to help us know the truth from the suspects under our custody.)

Farjardo also noted that the Anson Que kidnap-slay case is considered solved.

“Considered solved na po itong kaso [this case is considered solved] considering majority, if not all, of the main players were taken into custody and criminal cases were already filed before the DOJ,” Fajardo said.

“Hindi pa po close kasi ongoing pa yung pag te-trace with respect doon sa ransom money because ang objective natin mabawi itong napakalaking pera,” she added. 

(This is not a case closed since tracing the ransom money is still ongoing, and our objective is to recover it.)

Que and his driver Armanie Pabillo were kidnapped on March 29 and their bodies were found on April 9 on a roadside in Rodriguez, Rizal.

“The two bodies were placed in a nylon bag, tied with nylon rope, and their faces were wrapped with duct tape,” Police Regional Office (PRO) 4A public information office chief Police Lieutenant Colonel Chitadel Gaoiran earlier said. The victims were only wearing underwear and their heads were covered in blood.

Autopsy results showed Que and his driver died due to strangulation.

Authorities said Que was killed despite the P200 million ransom given.

Three suspects were arrested last month. Fajardo identified them as Ricardo Austria David, Raymart Catequista, and David Tan Liao. All three were placed under the custody of the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG).

The two latest suspects arrested meanwhile will undergo debriefing with the AKG.

They will thereafter be endorsed to the Bureau of Immigration for inquest as undesirable aliens.

Masterminds, suspects, ransom

One of the earlier arrested suspects, David Tan Liao, said Que's son Ronxian Gou or Alvin Que ordered his father's abduction and death.

Initial investigation showed that Alvin served as the negotiator for the family while Que was detained by the kidnappers. He was also the person who paid the initial P10 million ransom to a cryptocurrency account on March 31, and an additional P3 million to the same account on April 2.

The PNP however later cleared Alvin, saying no corroborating evidence was found linking him to the kidnapping and killing of the elder Que.

The PNP later said it was considering David Tan Liao, Kelly Tan Lim, and an unnamed suspect as alleged masterminds in the killing of Que and his driver.

The reward for information that may lead to the arrest of one of the suspects was initially offered at P5 million, but this was raised to P10 million.

Earlier this month, the PNP said two casino junket operators, namely 9 Dynasty Group and White Horse Group, allegedly received and transferred the ransom money from Que's family.

Fajardo said Chinese national Li Duan Wang or Mark Ong from Fujian was behind the 9 Dynasty Group.  

Li or Ong is said to have established various businesses in the Philippines, including ventures in gambling, remittance services, and an unlicensed crypto exchange. The group reportedly processed funds into crypto wallets without the required license from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, nor were they registered with the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

Fajardo said 9 Dynasty Group in turn transferred the ransom money to the accounts named under Lin Tingyu, Deng Chengzhi, and Lin Ning. Meanwhile, White Horse Club transferred the ransom money to the accounts of Luo Guohui, and Nguyen Huy Dung.

Fajardo noted that Lin Ning sent an amount to an account named under Ni Qinhui, who was previously arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for espionage as reported in February.

The ransom money split into different accounts were again transferred to other accounts and eventually to crypto wallets. Authorities were facing challenges in tracking the money trail in cryptocurrency.

The PNP however later said it was able to trace and freeze part of the ransom money paid by the family of Que.

Fajardo said that USD$205,942 or around P11.40 million was found in cryptocurrency outside Philippine jurisdiction.

The PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) was able to freeze the ransom.

Despite this, Fajardo said that a bulk of the money, totalling up to USD$1,365,113 or around P75.58 million, had already been withdrawn using a USDT account based in Cambodia.

She also shared that the account used to withdraw had previously been investigated by the authorities of the United States of America for suspected money laundering.

Meanwhile, Alvin Que remains a respondent in the kidnapping for ransom with homicide complaint pending a motion seeking to remove him, Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon said last May 8. —with Mariel Celine Serquiña/KG/BM, GMA Integrated News