By Vir B. Lumicao
Two Filipina domestic helpers appeared in Eastern Court
The two defendants, Joan E. Palpal-latoc, 40, and Jeanette
V. Gallego, 47, were formally charged in court on May 18 for allegedly operating three
dating websites offering sex services that targeted wealthy foreign tourists.
Palpal-latoc and Gallego each faced a charge of “living on
the earnings of prostitution of others” for the past nine years from 2009 to
2018.
The two Filipinas were hired by a certain Miss Wong as domestic helpers in 2009, the prosecutor said.
The two Filipinas were hired by a certain Miss Wong as domestic helpers in 2009, the prosecutor said.
They were arrested on Tuesday, May 15, along with Wong, her 72-year-old sister, and a male person during
a raid by police on a flat on the 43rd floor of Tavistock II, a
residential tower on Tregunter Path.
were taken into custody and formally charged in court.
The three local Chinese suspects were allowed to post bail
while the two maids
 |
| Magistrate ordered 2 Filipina suspects to apply for bail |
Magistrate Peter Law ordered the two Filipinas to apply for bail, after asking the prosecution why they were not given temporary liberty like the other accused. The prosecutor said it was due to the Filipinas' lack of local ties,
the seriousness of their offense and the high risk of flight.
But on the date set for the bail application, the maid's lawyer could not be in court until around 1pm, forcing Law to adjourn the bail hearing to Jun 4.
The prosecution sought an adjournment of eight weeks to
allow enough time for a forensic examination of six to eight hard drives of
four PCs, several mobile phones, seven telephone main lines, phone recordings,
and 17 ledgers containing records of transactions that police seized.
Local newspaper reports said the raiding teams also
confiscated $10 million in cash, share certificates and a car.
The reports which quoted a police officer also said Wong controlled
the syndicate, taking calls directly from customers who sought sex services.
The website operated by her domain company allegedly
displayed pictures of foreign women who worked as prostitutes, and promoted
all-day high-quality escort and massage services for $6,000 to $7,000 an hour.
The investigation of Wong and the two others is continuing.
Police started investigating the operation after suspicious
websites offering “compensated dating” services in Hong
Kong appeared on the internet and targeted foreign tourists.
The sites claimed such services are legal in Hong Kong and that the women, as well as men, are mostly
Westerners including Russians and other East Europeans.
Three teams of officers posing as customers contacted the
websites and transacted business. When they raided the premises, they found the
two Filipinas still at work. They said Papal-latoc arranged the special
services while Gallego received commissions of 0.4% per transaction.
The two were returned to police custody pending their bail application.
