CA orders BI to ‘immediately release’ trader suspected of faking PH citizenship

The Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered the release of mining executive Joseph Sy, who was arrested in late August on suspicion he was a Chinese national using fake Philippine documents, his company said on Wednesday.

Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc. disclosed that the appellate court ordered the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to “immediately release” its chair from detention “under pain of contempt.”

There was no immediate comment from the BI.

The company received a copy of the order on Wednesday. Sy was intercepted by immigration agents upon his arrival from Hong Kong on Aug. 21 on suspicion that he was Chinese national Chen Zhong Zhen.

The immigration bureau found that fingerprints from his passport allegedly matched those of Chen, who previously held a long-term visa and holds an Alien Certificate of Registration identity card. This has led to suspicions that he may have assumed a Filipino identity without proper naturalization.

Global Ferronickel has vouched for the Filipino citizenship of Sy, who was appointed to the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary Executive Squadron with the honorary rank of Auxiliary Commodore in 2018.

On Sept. 5, a Taguig Regional Trial Court granted Sy’s petition for habeas corpus and ordered his release. The court reportedly gave weight to the businessman’s birth certificates and passports as proof of his Filipino citizenship.

Biometric proof

The BI appealed the lower court’s ruling before the CA, saying its case was backed by biometric evidence.

See Also

Senate cites ex-DPWH district exec in contempt

“This clear directive from the CA not only reinforces the earlier decision of the Regional Trial Court of Taguig City affirming Sy’s Filipino citizenship and declaring that the BI has no jurisdiction to detain him, but also supports the long-standing legal presumption in favor of his Filipino citizenship,” Global Ferronickel said.

Sy has been detained at the BI detention center in Bicutan, Taguig, since his arrest.

Several business groups have rallied behind the 60-year-old tycoon, warning that his continued detention sends a distressing signal to investors amid ongoing reforms within the mining sector.

“Mr. Sy has never been involved in any criminal activity. Any attempt to associate him with controversial personalities is grossly unfair,” the mining firm said last month.