|
A
FEDERAL grand jury in
Salt Lake City
has indicted seven individuals and four companies that
used
Western Union to wire funds for illegal Internet gambling to
associates in the
Philippines.
The US
Justice Department said, “the indictment alleges that
the defendants conspired to offer their illegal Internet
gambling web sites as another payment-processing option
through Western Union wire transfers.”
The
indictment, which does not include
Western Union,
also alleges the defendants’ businesses “. . .assisted
Internet gambling web sites by arranging fund transfers
between bettors in the United States and various
Internet gambling web sites using Western Union wire
transfers.”
Internet-based sports and casino gambling web site BetUS
was also charged in a case of conspiracy that involved
more than $150 million (P7.2 billion at $1=P48) in
payment to such web sites.
“According to the indictment, the defendants caused the
illegal Internet gambling web site’s customers to wire
funds through
Western Union to people in the
Philippines who were associated with the defendants.”
The US
Justice Department added that the “defendants then
caused these associates in the Philippines to transfer
funds to accounts controlled by the defendants.”
Western
Union executive Angela Heng called from
Hong Kong to stress that the company “has not been accused for
doing something wrong.”
Said
Heng, Western Union’s Asia Pacific vice president for
corporate affairs. “We’re actually the victim here.”
She
added she only read a news wire story citing the
company’s involvement in the case but “we haven’t
received any document from official channels” on that
case.
Heng
said despite the company’s anti-gaming program, “we
still can’t say if a person sending money to another
person would be intended for gambling. We do as much as
we can to curb these irregularities. We cooperate with
law enforcement agencies. We talk to the Anti-Money
Laundering Council very often and we are happy to help
as much as we can.”
When
asked to comment on the case, AMLC executive director
Vicente Aquino said that “if there is a case then surely
it would go into our database.”
When
asked if the council is launching a probe on Western
Union, Aquino replied, “All I can say is AMLC is doing
its job.”
According to Republic Act 9160 or the Anti-Money
Laundering Act of 2001, the AMLC has the authority to
freeze any deposit or similar account and to inquire
into bank deposits of accounts suspected of being used
for money laundering. |
