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| More than $2.75 million passed through Paculio's bank account in just 6 days |
A Filipina who has been detained since late last year will have to wait for 11 more months before she goes on trial for a $2.75 million money laundering charge which she denies.
Charity
Joy T. Paculio, 45 years old, appeared before District Court Judge Kwok Wai Kin
today, July 15, after pleading not guilty to the offence. The judge set down
her trial for six days, from June 8-15 next year.
Meanwhile,
the judge ordered her returned to custody until her next court appearance.
Paculio,
a domestic helper, had tried since November last year when she first appeared
in the Eastern magistrate’s court to be allowed bail, but failed, even after offering
$20,000 cash bond for her temporary release.
This
means that she would have been in detention for close to two years when she
goes on trial next year.
Paculio
is accused of dealing with proceeds of crime through her Standard Chartered
Bank account where deposits and withdrawals of a sum totaling $2,751,387.98
were made in just six days, from Feb. 22 to 28, 2023.
She
denied having made any of the transactions in the bank account.
The
charge, formally described under the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance as “dealing
with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence,” is
punishable with a maximum jail term of 14 years, and fine of up to $5 million.
