THE Court of Appeals had dismissed smuggling and drug importation charges against businessman Bernard Lu Chong, an e-sports patron, and recalled an arrest warrant issued against him last April 13.
Chong was implicated in an illegal shipment of 276.34 kilograms of alleged shabu with an estimated value of about P1.6 billion. The shipment was concealed in sacks of plastic resin and was seized by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency at the Manila International Container port on March 22, 2019.
On the basis of the affidavits filed before the PDEA National Capital Region, the CA found an alleged attempt to confuse authorities because documents filed by SITC Container Lines Phils., Inc. (SITC) wrongly pointe to Fortuneyield as the consignee of the alleged drug shipment that originated from Vietnam.
Chong was supposedly the president of the company at the time the shipment was made but this was later to be proven false.
Subsequent investigations and documentation proved that Fortuneyield was merely the shipper and another company, Wealth Lotus, was the actual consignee of the shipment that actually came from China.
A petition filed by Chong said “that there was no probable cause to indict him as one of the accused in the present case as…he was no longer connected with Fortuneyield long before the commission of the alleged importation of illegal drugs.”
In a 27-page decision, the appellate court dismissed the case for lack of merit after Chong’s lawyers clearly established that the shipment was not consigned to Fortuneyield and that he (Chong) “was no longer connected to the company during the time of the alleged shipment” and investigation.
Associate Justice Bonifacios Pascua penned the decision, with Associate Justices Louis P. Acosta and Jennifer Joyce C. Ong concurring.
Chong is known in e-sports circles as president and CEO of Esports Arena (MeSA), Bren Esports, BrenProTV and Next Talents, BrenPro, Inc. He led Bren Esports to the Mobile Legends world championship in 2021.
He is also the top honcho of local sports footwear brand World Balance.
