Rufa Mae Quinto is a ‘victim’ despite warrant of arrest, lawyer says

Rufa Mae Quinto. Image: Instagram/@mkqua

Rufa Mae Quinto’s lawyer confirmed that she has a standing warrant of arrest after being charged with 14 counts of violating Section 8 of the Securities Regulation Code, in relation to the skincare company involved in the detention of embattled actress-businesswoman Neri Naig.

Quinto’s lawyer Atty. Mary Louise Reyes confirmed the warrant on the December 2 broadcast of 24 Oras, days after Atty. Roberto Labe told TV Patrol that an unnamed actress was among the 39 complainants who lodged a lawsuit against Naig.

The unnamed actress was then identified to be the “Booba” star by showbiz insider Ogie Diaz last November 30, citing an anonymous source. Her warrant was then reported by talk show host Boy Abunda on the December 2 episode of his talk show.

According to Reyes, Quinto is charged with 14 counts of violating Section 8 of Republic Act 8799, or the Securities Regulation Code.

Section 8 of the Securities Regulation Code states that an individual is prohibited from engaging as a broker, salesman, or any associated person of any dealer when it comes to buying or selling securities unless it’s registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Despite the warrant, the actress’ lawyer clarified that she’s not involved in a large-scale estafa complaint, and will face her impending charges.

“Mag-voluntary surrender siya and magpo-post po kami ng bail for that. She’s worried kasi hindi naman totoo ’yung allegations… kasi my client po is just a brand ambassador, a model-endorser (She will voluntarily surrender and we’ll post bail for that. She’s worried because the allegations are not true. My client is just a brand ambassador, a model-endorser),” she told 24 Oras.

Reyes also pointed out that Quinto is merely a “victim” of the matter, and is not involved in any activities related to scamming clients and the like.

“Kung tutuusin, isa din siya sa mga biktima nito. Hindi siya ’yung biktima ng pang-i-scam. Na hindi sa kanya nakapagbayad ng downpayment, tapos ’yung mga tseke po puro tumalbog. Lahat po ’yan hawak naman po namin ’yung ebidensya, ipe-present naming sa court,” she said.

(To point out, she’s just one of the victims. She’s not the victim of scamming. She hasn’t even received a downpayment, and she only had bounced checks. We all have these as evidence. We’ll present this in court.)

It remains unknown if Quinto will file a case against the skincare company, per report.

INQUIRER.net has reached out to Dermacare for comment but has yet to receive a response, as of press time.