Groups want P20-B Erap assets seized

Justice Secretary Hernando Perez will ask the courts to freeze and seize about P20 billion in assets allegedly owned by ousted President Joseph Estrada.

Perez told reporters yesterday he has approved the filing of a petition with the Ombudsman for the seizure of P10 billion in bank depo-sits and at least six pieces of property, including luxury mansions.

"We are going to ask for the forfeiture of properties so far known to the private complainants," Perez said. "We’re asking that the deposits be frozen."

Ombudsman Aniano Desierto told reporters yesterday only the courts can issue a freeze order and that it is beyond the power of his office.

"I can examine bank accounts, but I have no power to freeze them," he said. "The court can do that, but my office cannot."

Desierto said he will ask the Sandiganbayan to hold a "marathon hearing" to speed up the resolution of the cases filed against Estrada.

"The Ombudsman himself, for the first time, will personally take over and lead the prosecution of the case against Estrada," he said.

Perez said the assets being sought were excluded in Estrada’s last statement of assets and liabilities in 1999, when he declared a net worth of about P35 million.

Other undeclared properties and bank accounts are being investigated, he added.

Perez said the petition covered all assets attributed to Estrada which are "not included in his statement of assets and liabilities" last year.

A group of citizens who fought for Estrada’s ouster filed a forfeiture case yesterday to seize the P20 billion of the deposed president’s allegedly unexplained wealth and give it to the government.

The case was filed with the Ombudsman by 82 people representing mostly left-wing and Church groups that took part in massive street protests that forced Estrada to step down last Jan. 20.

About 50 activists demonstrated outside the Desierto’s office urging him to speed up the investigation of Estrada on corruption charges and arrest him.

Maria Elena Enriquez, one of the lawyers who filed the corruption complaint against Estrada, told reporters yesterday the wealth they had identified included P10 billion in bank deposits.

Enriquez said the properties include mansions in the posh Wack Wack subdivision in Mandaluyong City, and the so-called "Boracay" house in New Manila, Quezon City.

Enriquez said the forfeiture case cannot yet be filed before the Sandiganbayan because under the law, it cannot be done within a year before the elections.

The charges against Estrada include plunder– referring to large-scale graft which is punishable by death under the 1987 Constitution.

The Arroyo administration has been pressing the corruption charges in court, but Estrada has insisted that he is still president, and therefore covered by presidential immunity.

Carlos Caabay, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) deputy director for special investigation service, told reporters yesterday they will question the board of directors of various companies which are the registered owners of luxurious mansions allegedly belonging to Estrada.

Caabay said the NBI will also summon Lucio Co and Jacinto Ng, who are listed at the Securities and Exchange Commission as the owners of a real estate development company.

Caabay said Jose Yulo, who owns St. Peter Holdings, told NBI investigators Jose Dichaves had paid for the "Boracay" mansion in New Manila.

Meanwhile, Chairwoman Aurora Navarette-Reciña of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said yesterday non-government organizations have not filed any case against Estrada before the agency.

"As to the claim that I cleared Mr. Estrada, that is not true," she said. "We would like to emphasize that no case of human rights violation was ever filed against Mr. Estrada and that we have not cleared him of any these said violations."

Reciña was reacting to a statement by Marie Hilao-Enriquez, secretary general of Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Para sa Amnestiya, that the CHR is useless in resolving cases of human rights violations.

Reciña said the powers of the CHR is limited "to investigate all forms of civil and political rights violation and not to prosecute."

Reciña said that’s why they have submitted a bill to Congress seeking to grant the CHR "quasi-judicial powers," but the bill has remained shelved.

On the other hand, the Filipino Lawyers for Good Governance (FILGOOD), chided former senator Rene Saguisag for taking Estrada as a client.

Rick Abcede, FILGOOD national chairman, said: "Rene (Saguisag) still has the moral suasion among our populace, having served before a spokesman for Cory Aquino, as senator and as chairman of MABINI, a human rights lawyers group founded to fight the previous Marcos dictatorship."

However, the Concerned Lawyers for Moral and Effective Leadership (Clamor) said Saguisag does not want Estrada to return to Malacañang and only accepted his case so the Supreme Court could rule on Mrs. Arroyo’s legitimacy for academic purposes.

Dennis Funa, Clamor head, said: "The future generation will simply have to read this Supreme Court decision and see how a corrupt president was removed from office."

Meanwhile, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and 81 other people’s organizations filed a new plunder complaint against Estrada at the Ombudsman yesterday.

On the other hand, the militant women’s group Gabriela urged Mrs. Arroyo yesterday to immediately order Estrada’s arrest following the filing of numerous cases against him.