Pagpapataw ng mabigat na parusa vs investment fraud pirmado na ni Duterte

PINIRMAHAN na ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang panukalang batas na nagpapataw ng mas mabigat na parusa sa mga indibiduwal na mapatutunayang “guilty” sa investment fraud.

Ang bagong kaparusahan ay nakasaad sa ilalim ng Republic Act No. 11765, o Financial Products and Services Consumer Protection Act, tumutukoy sa investment fraud bilang anumang uri ng mapanlinlang na “solicitation of investments” mula sa publiko.

Sa ilalim ng batas, “investment fraud covers Ponzi schemes and other schemes involving the promise or offer of profits or returns that are sourced from the investments or contributions made by the investors themselves.”

Sakop din nito ang boiler room operations at ang pag-aalok at pagbebenta ng investment schemes sa publiko ng walang lisensiya o permit mula sa Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Ang financial product o service, sa kabilang dako ay tumutukoy sa “products or services which developed or marketed by a financial service provider which may include — but are not limited to — savings, deposits, credit, insurance, pre-need and health maintenance organization products, securities, investments, payments, remittances and other similar products and services.”

Kabilang din dito ang digital financial products o services na may kinalaman sa malawak na sakop ng financial services na may “accessed” at dineliver sa pamamagitan ng digital channels.

Sa ilalim ng batas na nilagdaan noong Mayo 6, ang sinumang mapatutunayang guilty na nakagawa ng investment fraud ay makukulong ng isa hanggang limang taon o magmumulta ng P50,000 hanggang P2 million o pareho.

Pareho rin ang parusa na mahaharap ng korporasyon o juridical entity, directors, officers, employees, o iba pang opisyal na direktang responsable sa investment fraud.

“The new law also provides that administrative sanctions of the respective charters of the financial regulators will be made applicable to a financial service provider, its directors, trustees, officers, employees or agents for violation of the law or any related rules, regulations, orders or instructions of financial regulators; or to any persons found administratively liable for investment fraud on top of the SEC fine worth P50,000 to P10 million for each instance of investment fraud and without prejudice to the enforcement of other laws and criminal sanctions,” ayon sa batas.

Idagdag pa rito, ang mabigat na multa o parusa, P10,000 multa para sa kada araw ng patuloy na paglabag at karagdagan sa iba pang administrative sanctions sa ilalim ng Section 54 ng Republic Act No. 8799 o Securities Regulation Code ay ipapataw din.

Ang financial regulators ay inatasan naman na magbigay ng guidelines o panuntunan para sa pagpapatupad ng bagong batas sa loob ng isang taon mula sa naging epektibo ito.