IMMIGRATION officials at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have arrested two foreign fugitives wanted by Interpol who attempted to enter the country last week to evade prosecution for crimes committed abroad.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado identified the two as Jaime Alan Strauss, 37, an Australian who was intercepted at the NAIA terminal 1 last March 18, and Zverev Zahar, 24, a Russian who was collared at the NAIA terminal 3 last March 20.
Viado said the two were taken into custody after their names prompted a positive hit in the BI’s derogatory check system.
They will be deported and their names included in the country’s blacklist and banned from re-entering the Philippines, Viado said.
BI-Interpol acting chief Peter de Guzman said Strauss and Zverev are the subjects of red notices issued by Interpol over criminal cases filed against them in Panama and Russia.
Strauss is wanted by authorities in Panama for beating and inflicting serious bodily injuries to a man there two years ago, which incapacitated the victim for 25 days while causing permanent damage to his face.
Zverev was indicted before a court in Krasnodar City, Russia, in May 2021 for fraudulently misappropriating the bank accounts of persons who were duped into revealing their personal information to the suspects.
Due to a voice phishing scheme employed by a syndicate, the suspects allegedly earned 3.65 million rubles, or more than US$43,000, from the victims.
