Quezon City prosecutors have determined there is enough evidence to prosecute Lakambini “Lakam” Chiu, the elder sibling of celebrity Kim Chiu, in a case built around 124 separate counts of qualified theft. The charges stem from what has been described as significant accounting irregularities at the sisters’ handbag enterprise, with the disputed sum exceeding P44 million.
Each count corresponds to a specific transaction. Investigators pinpointed 124 withdrawals from the firm’s bank accounts that they say were made without authorization, and those individual movements of money became the foundation for each charge brought against Lakam.
The prosecution’s resolution put a precise figure on the loss. It stated that “the evidence on record establishes that respondent Lakambini unlawfully took and appropriated corporate funds in aggregate amount of P44,396,331.65, fully aware that the same did not belong to her.” The document went on to describe how the alleged scheme worked, noting that “by exploiting the access and authority entrusted to her, respondent Lakambini was able to divert corporate funds for her personal gain, without the use of violence, intimidation, or force upon things.”
The two versions of events diverge on where the money went. Kim recounted that suspicions took hold around June 2025, when she spotted sizable and out-of-the-ordinary movements across bank accounts the sisters shared for the business — accounts that Lakam largely oversaw. After raising the matter directly with her sister, Kim said Lakam expressed remorse and conceded she had spent the funds on “gambling” and to settle “personal debts.” Lakam has told a different story, maintaining she poured the money into a gaming-industry business that ultimately collapsed.
The timeline of the legal process runs from late 2025 into this year. Kim brought her complaint to the Quezon City prosecutor’s office in December 2025, pointing to the “serious financial discrepancies” she said had surfaced in how the company was being run. Prosecutors issued their resolution on September 1, and the formal criminal information landed in court on July 15, 2026.
Not every complaint tied to the matter moved forward. Prosecutors threw out a separate qualified theft accusation that had been lodged against Helena Tayag, who serves as Kim’s personal accountant.
