In observance of the Holy Week, the Philippine News Agency’s online news service will be off on March 29, Good Friday, and March 30, Black Saturday. Normal operations will resume on March 31, Easter Sunday.

— The Editors

Local firm asks court to rule on charged expat

By Benjamin Pulta

April 13, 2023, 6:10 pm Updated on April 13, 2023, 8:24 pm

MANILA – A local firm has asked the Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 157 to rule on the fate of a foreign national who allegedly fled the country shortly after estafa charges have been filed against him and others.

Lawyers of Sunfu Solutions Inc. asked the court to compel defense lawyers of Ryo Nagaoka to explain whether the latter is still in the country.

In a resolution, the Pasig City Prosecutor’s Office had found probable cause to charge Nagaoka, along with other officials of Fujifilm Philippines namely Evan Reyes, Anil Jacob John, John Paul Camarillo, Dinesh Mehra and Erik Koh for estafa before the Pasig court last December.

The case for estafa was filed by local firm Sunfu Solutions Inc. in connection with the grant of a distributorship certificate on January of last year by Fujifilm authorizing it to distribute Fujifilm medical equipment for the OFW Hospital and Diagnostic Center in Pampanga.

The firm claims it was made to believe the distributorship was exclusive as is the industry practice but would later learn that a second distributor was also issued a certificate.

“In this case, the defense had neither confirmed nor denied the reported flight of accused Nagaoka. Because Nagaoka is an accused seeking judicial relief with the Honorable Court, the circumstances of his reported flight must be explained, otherwise, the presumptions laid down by law on flight must apply to him,” the private prosecution said in its motion.

“(F)light when unexplained, is a circumstance from which an inference of guilt may be draws,” they argued.

They added that “a fugitive from justice includes not only those who flee after conviction to avoid punishment but likewise those who, after being charged, flee to avoid prosecution.”

Once an accused flees to a foreign country, he loses his standing in court and unless he surrenders or submits to the jurisdiction of the court, he is deemed to have waived any right to seek relief from the court. (PNA)

Comments