Michelle Dee seeks arrest warrant, Interpol red notice vs Xian Gaza

MANILA, Philippines — Beauty queen-actress Michelle Dee’s camp said on Thursday that if necessary, they will seek an International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) red notice should an arrest warrant be issued against social media personality Christian “Xian” Gaza regarding his cyber libel complaint.

Dee’s counsel, Atty. Maggie Garduque said this on Thursday as she appeared before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Cybercrime Division to file a supplemental affidavit with regard to the cyber libel complaint the actress recently lodged against Gaza.

READ: Michelle Dee files cyber libel complaint vs Xian Gaza at NBI 

In an ambush interview, Garduque said that if it is true that Gaza is outside the country, he can be arrested—should a warrant to do so be issued—through an Interpol red notice. The social media personality is reportedly residing in Thailand for business.

“Siguro po we will just force all law enforcement agencies para makagawa ng paraan. Kung kinakailangan ng red notice sa Interpol para po since hindi lang naman ito ang kaniyang kaso at may ibang mga kaso at may pending warrant of arrest pa po siya, pwede na po nating ipa-alarma sa Interpol para po ma-issue-han siya ng red notice at ma-aresto siya kahit wala siya sa Pilipinas,” Garduque said.

(Maybe we will just force all law enforcement agencies to find a way. If a red notice is needed from Interpol, since this is not just his case, as there are other several cases, and he still has a pending arrest warrant, we can alert Interpol so that a red notice can be issued and he can be arrested even if he is not in the Philippines.)

READ: NBI issues subpoena to Michelle Dee over assault, detention claims

Garduque further explained in a Viber message that their planned application for an Interpol notice “may be coursed through our law enforcement agencies in the Philippines.”

“This is in the event the case of Xian Gaza reaches the court and a warrant of arrest will be issued to him. Since he is not in the Philippines, we will apply for a red notice so that he will be brought back to the Philippines to face all the charges against him,” the legal counsel told the INQUIRER.

“I was informed that he also has an alias warrant for syndicated estafa. This and the cases which Michelle will file against him will be a good ground for him to be put under red notice,” she added.

In 2018, the Malabon Regional Trial Court convicted Gaza to five years and six months in prison after finding him guilty of estafa for issuing bouncing checks of P2 million to a businesswoman.

READ: Blogger gets 5 years in jail for P2-M estafa

Dee on February 16 appeared at the NBI to file a cyber libel complaint against Gaza and other individuals behind certain Facebook pages for allegedly spreading false information about her.

Garduque said some of the “fake” and “malicious” posts claimed Dee had flown abroad to avoid her ongoing case.

Speaking on the case on Thursday, Garduque said they are confident the cyber libel complaint Dee filed against Gaza will prosper, emphasizing that his posts have “actual malice.”

“These post are made with knowledge na hindi totoo ang mga ito… Recently may mga post pa siya regarding sa na sinabi daw ng nanay niya, ni Melanie Marquez, sa isang film producer na sinasabing bata pa si Michelle ay nagkamali siya,” Garduque said.

(These posts are made with the knowledge that they are not true… Recently, she made some posts about what her mother, Melanie Marquez, said to a film producer who said that Michelle made a mistake when she was still young.)

“This can be tantamount to a defamatory imputation,” she added.

Earlier, the NBI issued a subpoena to Dee regarding the physical injuries and illegal detention allegations filed against her and her fellow Kapuso actress Rhian Ramos and beauty queen-politician Samantha Panlilio.

Dee, along with Ramos and Panlilio, has been accused by Ramos’ personal driver, alias “Totoy,” of mauling him over his alleged accidental possession of sensitive photos.

Garduque said she will appear before the NBI on Friday to represent Dee, complying with the subpoena. /edv