The Philippine National Police (PNP) announced on April 19, 2025 that it had sought the help of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and other government agencies to trace the money trail of the ₱200 million worth of cryptocurrencies that were sent in multiple tranches as part of the ransom payment in the kidnap case of steel industry magnate Anson Que.
Tracing the money trail could help locate at least two more Chinese nationals who are believed to have played key roles and are the masterminds in Que’s killing, according to PNP spokesperson Police Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo.
“This is now the challenge. We need other relevant other government agencies including the AMLC to follow the money trail, and considering that this is cryptocurrency, it’s beyond the reach of the PNP alone.”
Police Brigadier General Jean Fajardo, Spokesperson, Philippine National Police
Initial reports revealed that Que’s kidnappers demanded his family pay $20 million, or around ₱1 billion, for the businessman’s release, and that the ransom be paid through cryptocurrency.
On April 9, 2025, the bodies of Que and his driver, Armanie Pabillo, were discovered in Rodriguez, Rizal, after being kidnapped less than two weeks earlier. They were last seen on March 29 in Que’s office in Valenzuela City.
The demand was sent to Que’s family through WeChat, a messaging application commonly used by Chinese nationals, the following day. That was when the family reported the incident to the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG).
As of this writing, three suspects in Que’s killing are in police custody.
Filipinos Richardo Austria David and Raymart Catequista were arrested by the PNP-AKG in Palawan on Friday morning, while David Tan Liao, a Chinese national, surrendered a day later and admitted to participating in the crime, according to Fajardo.
“Natatakot siya (Liao) na maaaring ipapatay din siya at meron siyang personal na reason, which we will later reveal once we have the clearance.”
Police Brigadier General Jean Fajardo, Spokesperson, Philippine National Police
[“Liao was afraid that he might be killed because of his participation in the crime. He also has personal reason of involvement, which we will reveal once we have the clearance to publicize it.”]
Fajardo also revealed that Que’s killing had been planned as early as January and that they had established the motive, but could not disclose it yet due to the request of Que’s family.
“We are looking into a very solid lead that reveals that kidnapping for ransom is not the motive, but the family requested that we don’t reveal the direction of the investigation.”
Police Brigadier General Jean Fajardo, Spokesperson, Philippine National Police
The two additional Chinese national suspects have already been identified, according to the PNP Special Investigation Task Force.
This article is published on BitPinas: PNP Seeks AMLC Help to Trace ₱200M Crypto Ransom in Anson Que Kidnap-Murder Case
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