Pinay 'scammer' in NZ loses court battle to keep identity secret

The identity of the Filipino tagged behind the visa scam that victimized thousands of Filipinos looking for work in New Zealand was finally revealed by the court months after her arrest, a report on NZ City said.
Judge Edwin Wylie of the Hamilton High Court identified the alleged scammer as Loraine Anne Cander Jayme, 35, in a court decision after rejecting Jayme's appeal for continued name suppression.
Wylie said there was significant public interest in the case to warrant the lifting of the name suppression. The defense had asked the court to protect Jayme's identity due to threats to her and her family.
NZ National quoted Wylie saying, "In my judgment there is nothing to suggest that publication of Mrs Jayme's name is going to have any effect on accelerating or extinguishing the risk of further threats being made."
In their appeal, Jayme's lawyer, Roger Laybourn, cited two death threats made against his client and her family as reasons to protect her identity.
Jayme was arrested in October and slapped with 284 dishonesty-related charges, including multiple counts of deception, using forged documents, supplying false information, and obtaining visas by forgery for more than 1,000 Filipino farm workers.
She has been remanded on bail without plea and was ordered to reappear in the Hamilton District Court on March 16.
According to data cited by Stuff.co.nz from Immigration New Zealand, about 1,900 Filipinos on temporary visas work in the dairy industry. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News

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