BI looking into PH travel records of Wirecard’s ex-COO

BI acting spokesperson Melvin Mabulac said the move is upon the order of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra. (File Photo: Bureau of Immigration, Republic of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Thursday said it is now investigating the supposed presence of Jan Marsalek, former chief operating officer of the European financial tech company Wirecard, in the country.

BI acting spokesperson Melvin Mabulac said the move is upon the order of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.

On Wednesday, Guevarra said the National Bureau of Investigation will coordinate with Anti-Money Laundering Council in the initial phase of the investigation on people involved in the scandal, which resulted in the company’s loss of 1.9 billion euros (USD2.1 billion).

“All travel records under the name of the subject are part of the investigation. Will submit the report to the SOJ (Secretary of Justice) once done,” he said in a Viber message.

In an interview with CNN Philippines, Mabulac said Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente has ordered the bureau’s Intelligence Division to conduct a probe on Marsalek’s travel history.

“The Commissioner already gave the deadline for the Intelligence Division. They should be able to submit the report on Friday. That is tomorrow,” he said.

Immigration records showed that Marsalek arrived in the Philippines on March 3 and departed on March 5.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas earlier said Wirecard’s missing funds did not enter the country’s financial system.