The 17 Chinese nationals who were arrested in a suspected cyber scam den in Iloilo City in November 2023 have applied for a plea bargain for their cybercrime offenses in exchange for a lower sentence.
The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) learned about the development of the case of the Chinese nationals who are facing charges for violation of Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevent Act of 2012 and were arrested in a joint operation with the Bureau of Immigration, the Iloilo City Police and CICC.
The raid on the cyberscam den located in Barangay Lawa-an in Jaro District on Nov. 4, 2023, was made on the strength of a search warrant issued by Iloilo City Regional Trial Court Branch 39 after more than a month of surveillance.
Seized were 24 computers, 49 cellular phones, two switch hubs TP-link with 24 ports, two routers, one projector, one monitor, one modem, and one bundle and four boxes of subscriber identity module (SIM) cards.
CICC Executive Director Alexander K. Ramos emphasized that the court has the final say on whether to approve a plea bargain. “Plea bargaining is a legal process where the accused and the prosecution negotiate for a lesser penalty or for a lesser offense in exchange for a guilty plea,” he explained.
