Pampanga 3rd District Board Member Estelito “Shiwen” Lim has been ordered to be moved to the Valenzuela City Detention Center.
This came after the 10 criminal cases against Lim has been referred by Presiding Judge Mary Jane Dacara-Buenaventura of the Regional Trial Court Branch 44 to the nearest judicial region, which is RTC Valenzuela City.
The judge, in issuing the referral, cited a Supreme Court circular which requires cases of elected officials to be transferred outside of their political jurisdiction.
Lim will be held at the Valenzuela City detention center while he continues to face charges of large-scale estafa.
In a hearing last Tuesday, Presiding Judge Ayn Marie Grace Barit-Carig of RTC Branch 171 had also ordered Pampanga Provincial Jail warden Alain de Leon to move Lim to the Valenzuela City jail.
Lim had earlier surrendered to Vice Gov. Dennis Pineda after a warrant of arrest had been issued against him.
No bail had been set for nine of the estafa cases against Lim, with ₱48,000 set for one.
Multiple complainants accused the board member of failing to return capital and interest on investments made in his businesses, which include restaurants, shoe shops, and others.
However, his firm was not licensed to solicit investments, according to Securities and Exchange Commission records.
Aside from this, Lim also has pending warrants for other cases, posting bail of P18,000 for each count in three estafa cases sometime in August last year.
Earlier, Branch 2 of the Municipal Trial Court in lSan Fernando issued an order garnishing Lim’s salary to pay ₱1.13 million owed in a civil case for collection and damages.