Prosecutors seek Ricaforte travel ban

The prosecution in President Estrada’s impeachment trial sought yesterday the imposition of a travel ban on jueteng scandal witness Yolanda Ricaforte and six other hostile witnesses.

The petition for hold-departure orders on the seven witnesses was filed with the Senate, in its capacity as an impeachment court, by the prosecution panel’s Team A chaired by House Deputy Minority Leader Sergio Apostol.

The panel also filed a separate petition seeking protection and immunity from suit for its star witness, Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson.

Singson, a former gambling and drinking buddy of the President, has accused the Chief Executive of allegedly receiving more than P500 million in jueteng money and tobacco tax kickback.

Rep. Roan Libarios (LDP, Agusan del Norte), a member of Apostol’s team, said the hostile witnesses could support Singson’s accusations against the President.

In fact, he said Ricaforte’s testimony before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee confirmed Singson’s story.

According to Singson, Ricaforte, wife of Tourism Undersecretary Orestes Ricaforte, was the person designated by the President to audit illegal gambling money intended for the Chief Executive.

Besides Ricaforte, those whose departure from the country is sought to be prohibited are Edward Serapio, a former personal lawyer of the President; presidential brother-in-law Raul de Guzman, George Go of Equitable Bank, Mila Reforma, Danilo Reyes, and Betty Bagsic.

Serapio, De Guzman, Go, Reforma, and Reyes are trustees of the Erap Muslim Youth Foundation which, according to Serapio’s recent Senate testimony, received P200 million from Singson through Ricaforte.

Go, an Estrada friend, is treasurer of the foundation, with Bagsic as his assistant.

Libarios said more witnesses would be sought to be placed on the hold-departure list.

Team A is in charge of the bribery case against Mr. Estrada.

The two petitions were filed along with the prosecution panel’s opposition to the defense motion seeking to quash the impeachment complaint against the President.

Makati Rep. Joker Arroyo, who heads Team B, is expected to argue for the prosecution in today’s scheduled hearing on the motion to quash.

Another prosecutor, Rep. Raul Gonzalez of Iloilo City, revealed that he received information that some emissaries of the administration have visited suspected Central Luzon jueteng lord Rodolfo "Bong" Pineda in Los Angeles, California.

"It is not remote that Mr. Pineda would soon be signing an affidavit prepared in Malacañang, instead of corroborating Gov. Singson’s testimony," Gonzalez said.

Singson has claimed that he, Pineda and presidential friend Charlie "Atong" Ang were delivering jueteng money to the President.

Pineda left for Los Angeles on the same day that Ricaforte boarded a plane for San Francisco. While the alleged illegal gambling money auditor has returned to the country, Pineda has remained in the US.

Gonzalez said Pineda’s wife Lilia, who is mayor of Lubao, Pampanga, has followed her husband in California.

"They are vulnerable to harassment because of Mr. Pineda’s supposed illegal gambling activities," he said.

He said convincing Pineda to testify in favor of the President "could be one of the missions of Ambassador (Ernesto) Maceda" in returning to the US after reportedly helping pro-Estrada congressmen oust former Speaker Manuel Villar Jr.

He also said former Tourism Secretary Jose Antonio Gonzalez could be presented as a witness to corroborate Singson’s testimony on the construction of a casino at the Fontana resort inside the Clark special economic zone in Pampanga.

The casino and resort, according to the Ilocos Sur governor, are owned by President Estrada.

The construction of the casino and some resort improvements were supposedly financed out of Singson’s jueteng money collections.

Another prosecutor, Rep. Oscar Moreno (Lakas, Misamis Oriental), told reporters that the prosecution panel is getting a deluge of witnesses and evidence.

"Many people are presenting themselves to be potential witnesses or volunteering information and documents. We are evaluating what they have to say," he said.

He said the motion to quash of Mr. Estrada’s lawyers has not distracted prosecutors from doing their job.

Villar expressed confidence that the prosecution panel chosen under his leadership would be able to present a strong case that would lead to the President’s conviction.

He appealed to the senators’ sense of patriotism in deciding Mr. Estrada’s fate.

"The country’s fate is in their hands. The honorable members of the Senate have the chance to make a difference in the lives of future generations and I’m sure they will not let the Filipino people down," he said. – Jess Diaz