Emry’s owner charged with laundering $5.7 million

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Ylagan leaves court with a trolley loaded with case files

After an investigation that lasted six years, disgraced employment agency owner Ester Ylagan was back in court earlier today, Tuesday, to face four counts of laundering a total of $5.7 million over a seven-month period in 2016.

Eastern Court magistrate Ada Yim ordered the transfer of the case to the District Court for plea-taking on September 20. Until then, Ylagan’s bail of $40,000 has been extended on the same terms.

According to the charge sheet read out to the defendant in court, the alleged offences took place between Jan 29 to Jul 8, 2016, and involved a series of transactions, all in violation of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

In the first charge, Ylagan is accused of “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence” on Jan 29 and May 5, 2016, in the sum of HK$2,633,181.52 and US$44,658 (HK$347,439).

The total sum of HK$2,980,620 was dealt with in cash.

The second count allegedly happened between May 12 to 23, 2016, during which the total sum of USD300,00 (HK2,334,000) was moved by Ylagan from an account with Standard Chartered Bank.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

In the third count, Ylagan is accused with dealing with money believed to be proceeds from a crime, amounting to US$10,055 (HK$78,227) between May 25 and 26, 2016.

The last charge accuses Ylagan of handling a total amount of US$50,000 (HK$389,000), knowing it to be proceeds of a crime, on Jul 8, 2016.

The last two transactions were made using an account Ylagan held at HSBC.

PRESS FOR DETAILS!

It’s understood Ylagan is seeking Legal Aid so she can contest all the charges when she appears in District Court next month.

Hundreds of Filipinos living in HK and Macau applied for the bogus jobs offered by Ylagan (2016 File)

The dates of the alleged offenses coincided with a recruitment drive initiated and run by Ylagan, using the shop leased by Emry’s Service Staff Employment Agency in WorldWide Plaza, which she co-owned with her late husband, Rick.

At the time, Emry’s was the biggest recruitment firm for Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong.

Relying on Emry’s solid reputation in the business, about 200 Filipino migrant workers were enticed to apply for the jobs advertised by Ylagan, purportedly in the United Kingdom and Canada, for which each applicant was charged $10,000 or $15,000.

Press for details

The jobs all turned out to be bogus, and Ylagan jumped the gun on the applicants by going to the police and complaining about an online business partner she named as William Clinton Evans who allegedly duped her of $4.19 million before disappearing.

Ylagan also told police in a statement that it was Evans, whom she met only online, who offered to place her applicants in the UK or Canada. But after signing up about 400 applicants, she said she stopped because Evans wanted her to double the number.

Her unseen partner then stopped communicating with her, and Ylagan fled to the Philippines.

Ylagan used to be one of the most prominent Filipino business owners in HK

Lawyers acting for the complainants subsequently reported uncovering documents showing Ylagan and several other people close to her had sent a total of around $10 million to several countries as far apart as Malaysia and Burkina Faso.

The documents were turned over to the police, along with the names of the others involved in the apparent money laundering scam. These appear to have led to the police to file money laundering charges against Ylagan.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

Of the more than 200 Filipinos who sought police help, about 150 have filed claims to recover their money from Ylagan.

Some of the claims were upheld at the Small Claims Tribunal in Ylagan’s absence while the rest were moved to the District Court where they remain undecided.

PADALA NA!