By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
Two principal suspects in the alleged rice investment scam in Bacolod City were arrested by personnel of Police Station 4 after serving the warrants of arrest on Saturday, August 21.
Police identified the two suspects as Krizia Rhea Gonzaga and Jennifer Nierves. They were arrested by virtue of the warrant of arrest issued by Judge Karen Joy Tan-Gaston of Branch 6 of the Municipal Trial Court and Cities dated July 26, 2021.
Gonzaga and Nieves are facing multiple counts of estafa each with a fixed bail of P18,000.
The case stemmed from the complaint filed by Krisame Yosores, Claire Collen Latido and Precious Love Mercado before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Bacolod against Gonzaga, Nierves and four other respondents on September 16, 2020
In a joint resolution dated May 20, 2021, Prosecutor Joy Laiño-Legaspi found probable guilt against the two suspects for estafa.
The complainants told the NBI that they were allegedly scammed by the suspects amounting to P40 million.
NBI-Bacolod chief, Atty. Renoir Baldovino, earlier identified Gonzaga and Nierves as the principal suspects in the rice investment scam.
Laiño-Legaspi in her 18-page resolution found Gonzaga and Nierves guilty for six counts of estafa for acting in conspiracy and five counts of estafa against Gonzaga alone./DGB, WDJ