MANILLA (CelebrityAccess) — Grammy award-winning singer Chris Brown and his promoter were blocked from leaving The Philippines on Wednesday over fraud allegations related to a cancelled show last New Year's Eve.
Brown is in The Philippines after performing a concert on Tuesday night in Manilla. Both Brown and promoter John Michael Pio Roda were placed on the country's Bureau of Immigration 'lookout bulletin' and blocked from leaving the country aboard a private jet.
Bureau of Immigration spokeswoman Elaine Tan told The Guardian that the bureau was directed by Justice Department to take prudent steps "verify on the status of the criminal case against the subjects”.
“If the concerned agency raises no objection to the departure, then we will allow the subject to leave,” Tan added.
The Guardian reported that the charges appear to stem from a complaint filed by the legal counsel of the politically powerful religious group Iglesia ni Cristo and its Maligaya Development Corporation (MDC), which manages the Philippine Arena, who wrote on Tuesday to justice secretary Leilia Lima for assistance in prosecuting the criminal complaint of fraud that the MDC is filing against Brown and Pio Roda.
The complaint alleges that Brown failed to appear and perform in concert at an event on New Year's Eve at the 55,000-seat Philippine Arena, even after agreeing to perform and being fully paid. Brown cancelled his appearance at the show at the last minute, claiming to have lost his passport. A rep for Brown could not be reached.
Brown is currently on tour, and was scheduled to perform in Hong Kong on Thursday night. Another concert, scheduled for Saturday in Jakarta, Indonesia, was canceled due to unrelated safety concerns, according to Brown's Twitter account. – Staff Writers
