By Elaine Mencias
Maria Francesca ‘Mica’ Tan, the self-proclaimed trading prodigy of the MFT Group of Companies, and her family had been sued in Makati, Muntinlupa, and Pasay City, allegedly for fraud.
Despite vehement denials from Tan’s legal team, documents obtained by Bilyonaryo.com showed that the Pasay City Metropolitan Trial Court branch 45 issued two warrants for her arrest on November 13, 2018. The charges include falsification of public documents and the use of falsified documents.
Presiding Judge Remiebel U. Mondia LL.M. set the bail at P18,000 for the use of falsified documents and P36,000 for the falsification of public documents by a private individual. The criminal case also included Tan’s deceased father, Dr. Eduardo Tan, her mother Florita, and her brothers Enrique and Andrew. Similar arrest warrants, with the same bail conditions, were issued for them.
When queried about the criminal case, Tan did not respond to inquiries from Blyonaryo.com.
Additionally, Tan faced legal action from her former partner, Jose Valerio A. Calleja, of Compact Pharmaceuticals Corp., in Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 56, alongside several others. Although Tan elevated the case to the Court of Appeals, it was withdrawn on March 8, 2021, when MFT opted for a settlement.
Compact Pharmaceuticals was listed among the companies that the MFT Group claimed to own, along with Meihao Corp., in brochures provided to investors.
MFT entered into a shareholders’ agreement with Meihao in 2014, where it was supposed to invest P30 million for a 50 percent stake. However, MFT’s 2021 financial statement, audited by Isla Liana & Co., revealed an investment of only P15 million.
Meihao filed a complaint in Muntinlupa alleging that Tan and MFT fraudulently obtained a new stock and transfer book, registered themselves as stockholders, and engaged in direct transactions with Meihao clients. Meihao accused Tan of stealing its corporate identity, leading to disapprovals of credit lines with banks.
In response, Tan asserted in a counterclaim that Jamie Shiela Hao, vice president of Meihao, lacked authority to represent the company and sought damages from Meihao, including moral and exemplary damages and attorney’s fees. On March 4, 2019, the Regional Trial Court dismissed MFT’s motion, prompting an appeal to the Court of Appeals, which also dismissed the group’s petition.
Tan and MFT are scheduled to meet with investors on November 23 at 5 pm at the 8th floor of the Mondial Kidney Care Center in Centuria Medical Makati, a comprehensive outpatient medical-IT facility in Century City Makati.
