‘MJ’ should remain in RP — solons

Businessman Mark Jimenez, a close friend of former President Joseph Estrada, should remain in the country so he can testify against the deposed leader, an administration congressman said yesterday.

Rep. Ralph Recto of Batangas said the Arroyo administration should resist all pressure to have the presidential friend extradited to the United States where he is facing charges in connection with alleged illegal contributions to the election campaign of former President Bill Clinton.

"The Partido ng Masang Pilipino (Estrada’s political party) is behind the sinister scheme to have Jimenez banished, thereby removing a thorn off Estrada," he said.

He said there should be no hurry in sending the presidential friend back to the US "because he can be a critical witness here to send saboteurs and plunderers to jail."

Another administration lawmaker, Rep. Sergio Apostol (Lakas, Leyte), said Jimenez was all set to testify against Estrada in the latter’s aborted impeachment trial.

"We had reached a preliminary understanding for him to reveal what he knows about the extent of Mr. Estrada’s shady financial dealings. However, before we could present him in court, the Senate made the decision not to open the second sealed envelope of the Jose Velarde bank transactions," he said.

He said Jimenez’s testimony could still be used by the Department of Justice and private prosecutors to expose the full extent of the "presidential misdeeds and help the cases now being readied for filing against the former president."

Apostol was a member of the House panel that prosecuted the deposed leader in his impeachment trial. Formerly deputy minority leader, he is now majority leader of the House of Representatives.

The previous minority leader, Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr. (Lakas, Quezon City), is now Speaker. He was manager of the prosecution panel.

Justice department investigators have been taking the testimony of Jimenez, who was once described by Estrada as a "corporate genius."

The fugitive from US authorities reportedly brokered several juicy deals during the Estrada administration, including the takeover by Hong Kong’s Metro Pacific Group of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and the merger of PCIBank and Equitable Bank.

The merger involved funds from the Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System.

Jimenez and his former friend reportedly profited from these deals.

The fugitive also has personal knowledge on the BW stock manipulation scam, from which the deposed president allegedly made a lot of money.