MANILA, Philippines — Fugitive businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang has left the Philippines and was last seen in Cambodia, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said on Tuesday, renewing questions about how the businessman evaded a massive manhunt despite outstanding arrest warrants.
“We are confident that he is in that area,” Remulla said referring to Cambodia.
Ang is wanted in connection with the disappearance and alleged killing of cockfighting enthusiasts, or sabungeros. Courts in Batangas and Laguna have issued arrest warrants against him for kidnapping, serious illegal detention and homicide.
Remulla did not explain how Ang allegedly managed to leave the country despite the ongoing efforts of the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies to locate and arrest him.
The interior secretary also claimed that Ang may have converted $3 billion into cryptocurrency, saying the businessman had sufficient resources to pay people to help him evade arrest. The amount and alleged conversion have not been independently verified.
Ang has been accused of masterminding the disappearance of dozens of sabungeros, some of whom were allegedly killed after being suspected of cheating in cockfighting operations. The allegations remain subject to judicial proceedings.
The government has offered a P20-million reward for information leading to Ang’s arrest. He has been declared a fugitive from justice after the filing of criminal cases against him.
In February, Cambodian authorities said their immigration records showed no record of Ang entering or leaving the country. Remulla subsequently said authorities believed Ang remained in the Philippines, although investigators continued checking reports that he might have escaped abroad.
In April, Remulla disclosed that an actionable intelligence report indicated Ang had been seen in person at an undisclosed location in the Philippines. Follow-up operations failed to capture him.
The conflicting accounts underscore the difficulties authorities have encountered in locating Ang despite searches of properties and other locations linked to him.
Ang’s lawyer has previously questioned the legal basis of the arrest warrant, arguing that the court acted on incomplete information and had not adequately considered the defense’s counter-affidavits and exculpatory evidence.
