Anson Que ransom trail leads to casino, junket operator - PNP

Metro Manila, Philippines - The ransom for a high-profile kidnap victim was sent through a casino owned by a Chinese national who was denied Filipino citizenship.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Monday, May 5, Li Duan Wang owned 9 Dynasty, a casino with unlicensed and unregistered e-wallets, where part of the ₱200-million ransom was wired for Chinese businessman Anson Que, who was killed nonetheless.

READ: Marcos rejects citizenship of POGO-linked Li Duan Wang 

PNP spokesperson PBGen Jean Fajardo said 9 Dynasty also operates in Cambodia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.

“Ito po ang kanyang mga activities at negosyo po: sugal, pera padala, crypto exchange at lahat po ‘yan idinadaan sa sarili po nilang 9 Dynasty e-wallets,” Fajardo said in a press briefing.

[Translation: 9 Dynasty activities and businesses include gambling, money transfer, and crypto exchange through e-wallets.]

A tranche of the ransom was also coursed through another junket operator, White Horse. The police have not named its owner pending response from concerned government agencies.

The government has recommended revoking the authority to operate and junket agreement of 9 Dynasty and White Horse.

It also pushed for the freezing of assets connected to the kidnap for ransom and money laundering cases and the filing of charges against the two operators and other personalities involved.

Meanwhile, Fajardo, showing photos, said police investigation showed Que and the kidnap-slay mastermind David Tan Liao knew each other for a long time. The motive remains unresolved.

The reward for the person who could point to co-mastermind Gong Wenli, alias Kelly Tan Lim, doubled to ₱10 million.

Authorities believed Gong was the bait used to lure Que into the apartment in Bulacan where he was abducted and killed.

READ: Fil-Chi businessman, driver were strangled to death - PNP

“Si Kelly ang nagta-transfer ng pera from crypto to e-wallet. Kaya ang laki ng ₱10 million na reward natin kay Kelly para matapos na itong - para makita ang motibo,” PNP chief PGen Rommel Marbil said.

[Translation: Kelly transferred the money from crypto to e-wallet. That is why our reward for her whereabouts, ₱10-million, is huge so we could determine the motive.]

Liao surrendered to authorities. They have arrested other suspects identified aS Richardo Austria David and Raymart Catequista. Another suspect, Jonin Lin, is at large.

Que, an entrepreneur in the steel industry, and his driver Armanie Pabillo were kidnapped on March 29. Their bodies were discovered on a roadside in Rodriguez, Rizal on April 9.