By Nancy Carvajal
The National Bureau of Investigation has recommended the prosecution of actress Sunshine Dizon and nine others for syndicated estafa over an alleged spurious investment deal for a “super club” in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig.
Also included as respondents in the document submitted by the NBI to the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office were: Jonathan Rubic Dy, John Marcelle Marcelino,Nino Lisandro Baltazar, Camilla Ana Bote, Cyrus Montesa, as well as foreign nationals Jonathan Lin, Katushka Rumanova, Kenny Ho and Coco Yu.
The NBI’s recommendation stemmed from a group of complainants accusing Dizon and her business partners of duping them into investing P6 million in Ikon Worldwide Entertainment Inc. for the construction of a “super club” at The Palace Manila, a nightlife hub.
Tan and Fugen claimed to have given the money for the investment deal to the respondents inside a condominium unit reportedly occupied by Dizon and Dy along Sgt. Esguerra St. in Quezon City on two occasions in 2022.
The complainants told NBI that they became suspicious about the deal when the opening of the club was postponed several times.
A check with the management of The Palace Manila later showed that Ikon does not operate a bar. It has also reportedly racked up a P2.4-million debt for unpaid rentals.
“We issued several subpoenas to Dizon, et. al. to get their explanation, but all the summons were ignored,’’ the NBI said in its report.
The NBI said Ikon was unauthorized to solicit investments and doesn’t have an application with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a secondary license to offer investment products.
Earlier this week, Pilipino Star Ngayon reported that the public prosecutor’s office in Daet, Camarines Sur recommended the filing of estafa charges against Dizon and Dy over a bogus P10-million investment deal involving online cockfighting (e-sabong).