Manila: The alleged mastermind and an accomplice in the high-profile murder of Subic entrepreneur Dominic Lim Sytin in November 2018 have been arrested, police said Thursday.
According to Philippines News Agency, Central Luzon Police Regional Office (PRO) director Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo stated that Sytin's younger brother, Alan Dennis Lim Sytin, identified as the alleged mastermind, was apprehended in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia on March 22. Concurrently, the alleged accomplice, Edrian Rementilla, also known as Ryan Rementilla and Oliver Fuentes, was arrested on the same day in Purok 16, Buhanginan Hills, Pala-o, Iligan City.
Fajardo emphasized that the arrests demonstrate that justice will ultimately prevail despite attempts to evade capture. Alan Dennis was one of Central Luzon's most wanted fugitives with a PHP10-million bounty on his head. The authorities are now working with Malaysian officials to have him repatriated to the Philippines to face legal proceedings.
Persistent intelligence efforts and coordination among law enforcement agencies were crucial in capturing Rementilla, who frequently changed his location to avoid arrest. Fajardo noted that the victims' families have been informed about Rementilla's arrest, which occurred during a joint operation by PRO 10 and PRO 3 in Iligan City.
Rementilla has been handed over to PRO-3 for the return of his warrant to the court of origin. Both Alan Dennis and Rementilla face charges related to the 2018 shooting incident at the Light House Hotel inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, which resulted in Dominic's death and the wounding of his bodyguard, Efren Espartero Jr.
Self-confessed gunman Edgardo "Injeck" Luib, arrested in March 2019, pleaded guilty to murder and frustrated murder, implicating Alan Dennis as the person who hired him. In November 2019, the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 72 found Luib guilty. Judge Richard Paradeza sentenced Luib to reclusion perpetua, or up to 40 years imprisonment, for killing Sytin, and an additional sentence of six years and one day to a maximum of reclusion temporal for the frustrated murder of Espartero.
