Conduit gets 20 years terror financing

MANILA, Philippines — An alleged conduit of the terrorist organizations ISIS-Philippines (ISIS-P) and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison for multiple counts of terrorist financing in violation of Republic Act 10168 or the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012.

In a decision promulgated on April 25 released to the media yesterday, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 77 has found Myrna Mabanza guilty of 13 counts of violation of RA 10168.

She was sentenced to a minimum of four months and one day to a maximum of one year, seven months and 10 days of imprisonment for each count of the offense or a total of four up to 20 years for the 13 counts.

She was also ordered to pay a fine of P100,000 for each count or a total of P1.3 million for the 13 counts with subsidiary imprisonment in case of failure to pay.

Mabanza, a 32-year-old Filipino national, was arrested in Sulu in February 2024. She was identified as a major financial conduit for terrorist groups in Southeast Asia.

Charges were filed against her following an investigation by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) in coordination with the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC).

Based on the investigation, Mabanza was an accessory in the funneling and movement of funds on behalf of the ISIS-Philippines and the ASG.

In 2018 Mabanza was also tagged by the United States Department of the Treasury as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” over her supposed involvement in transferring substantial sums – including over $100,000 – to then ISIS-P leader Isnilon Hapilon.

The AMLC and ATC investigation also revealed that Mabanza coordinated directly with ISIS elements in Syria and facilitated the travel of foreign extremists into the Philippines, including representatives of Indonesia-based Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), for the procurement of firearms and the establishment of training camps.

In a press statement issued yesterday, the ATC welcomed Mabanza’s conviction.

“This is what accountability looks like. The conviction of Myrna Mabanza is proof that the Philippine government is serious, resolute and capable of dismantling the support networks that allow terrorism to thrive,” Executive Secretary and ATC chairman Lucas Bersamin said.

“We will pursue every individual who dares to finance terror, and we will hold them to the full extent of the law,” he added.