De Lima: Conviction of Amalilio in Malaysia not end of the road for victims

Manuel Amalilio

MANILA, Philippines—The conviction of Aman Futures Group head Manuel Amalilio in Malaysia is not the end of the road for the 15,000 victims of his pyramiding scheme in the country, although there will be a delay, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said in a statement Wednesday.

“We believe that the conviction of Amalilio by a Malaysian court is not the end of the road for our quest for justice. It merely represents a delay in the attainment of that aspiration,” De Lima said.

“We shall continue to explore, and exhaust, all available and reasonable means to bring him before the bar of justice in our country,” she assured.

De Lima said the country’s line of communications with the Malaysian government remains open.

“We shall count on goodwill we have with them so that a solution can be arrived at,” she added.

The Malaysian news outlet, The Star Online, on Tuesday reported that Amalilio, whose real name is Mohammad Kamal Sa’ad, pleaded guilty on Monday for securing a fake Philippine passport.

Section 12(1) (d) of Malaysia’s Passport Act of 1966 provides a fine of up to 10,000 ringgit (or roughly P130,000) or jail term of up to five years or both.

But The Star Online said Amalilio’s counsel Hairul V. Othman sought for a lighter penalty for his client because he was a “first-time offender who was remorseful of his actions.”