NBI files complaint against ‘rent-tangay’ suspects

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has filed a criminal complaint against the people allegedly behind the “rent-tangay” scheme that victimized almost 500 car owners around the country.

Facing a complaint for syndicated estafa, large scale syndicated estafa, and carnapping are Rafaela Anunciacion, Anastacia Cauyan, Eliseo Cortez, Sabina Torrea and spouses Bienvenido Cruz and Marilou Vera Cruz.

In its letter-complaint submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the NBI said: “From the forgoing, it can be seen that Anunciacion and her associates personally knew of the scheme because the same was actually designed by them. This would also prove that Anunciacion et al deliberately defrauded not only car owners but also investors who unknown to them was infusing money in Anunciacion’s schemes. The above sequence of events clearly demonstrates the criminal intent of all subjects herein to deprive car owners of their vehicles and defraud investors of their hard earned money amounting to millions of pesos,”

The complaint was signed by Joselito R. Amon, chief of the Legal Service Division of the NBI, and was approved by Leo Edwin D. Leuterio, deputy director of the Legal Service.

This is the second complaint filed against the respondents. The first was filed by the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (.PNP-HPG)

The DOJ investigating panel, which is chaired by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Rosanne Balauag, earlier said that the NBI would be consolidated with the first complaint.

According to the PNP-HPG, several sets of victims of the scam from Bulacan, Laguna, Angeles City, Batangas and Nueva Ecija had filed the complaints of syndicated estafa under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code and Presidential Decree 1689.

Balauag is the head of the DOJ panel doing the preliminary investigation. Panel members include Senior Assitant State Prosecutor Rex Gingoyon; Assistant State Prosecutors Aristotle Reyes, Rodan Parrocha, Bryan Jacinto Cacha Jr., Anna Noreen Devanadera, Jovyanne Escaño-Santamaria; and Assistant Prosecution Attorneys Wendell Bendoval, Joan Garcia and Marc Eico Tariga.

Last March 27, Anunciacion submitted her counter-affidavit and denied the accusation lodged against her.

Anunciacion alleged that the complainants were only forced to file criminal charges against her by the PNP-HPG, who threatened them that that they would no longer recover their vehicles.

During the hearing, some of the complainants withdrew their complaints after recovering their vehicles from Anunciacion.

Aside from Anunciacion, Cauyan also submitted her counter-affidavit and raised the same issue.

The DOJ set the next hearing for Friday at 10:00 a.m. for filing of counter-affidavits of the other respondents – namely Tychicus Nambia, Sabina Torrea, Eliseo Cortez, Eleanor Constatino, Marilou Cruz, Jhennelyn Berroya, Ana Borlon and Lea Rosales. /atm