Atong, Ricaforte willing to surrender to US officials

LOS ANGELES – Two fugitives wanted in the Philippines for their role in illegal gambling payoffs allegedly received by former President Joseph Estrada are willing to surrender to US officials, their attorney said.

Los Angeles attorney Donald Etra said Tuesday that US officials have refused to confirm or deny whether they are seeking his clients, Charlie "Atong" Ang, a friend of Estrada’s, and Estrada’s alleged auditor, Yolanda Ricaforte.

But he said the two are confident that an extradition hearing would show they are being sought for political reasons, and that there is no probable cause to believe they committed crimes.

"The entirety of the case is political," Etra said.

Ang, 42, and Ricaforte, 50, fled to the United States in January, shortly before Philippine officials issued an order that would have prevented them from leaving the country. Etra said they fled because of death threats.

The Philippines formally asked for their extradition earlier this month.

While Justice Secretary Hernando Perez has said Philippine authorities believe Ang is in Las Vegas or Los Angeles and Ricaforte is staying with relatives in California, Etra refused to reveal their whereabouts.

Estrada and his son Jinggoy were arrested April 25 on a charge of economic plunder for allegedly amassing $82 million in bribes and kickbacks during Estrada’s 31 months in office. Ang and Ricaforte were included in the charge for what Philippine officials said was their role in illegal gambling payoffs allegedly received by Estrada.

Under the charge they would not be eligible for release on bail and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Estrada also faces separate charges of perjury, illegal use of an alias and violation of Philippine ethical standards for officials. He and his son are being held in a state-run hospital in Quezon City for medical tests, pending their return to an air-conditioned house inside a police camp in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Meanwhile, in Manila, Estrada’s lawyer Edward Serapio asked the Sandiganbayan yesterday to junk a government motion to set joint bail hearings against the Estradas with whom he is accused of plundering the economy.

In a nine-page urgent motion for reconsideration, Serapio asked the Sandiganbayan’s third division to set a separate bail hearing for him on May 28 to June 1, ahead of the scheduled June 18-28 hearing.

If granted, the motion would hasten the trial, which Estrada’s lawyers are apparently trying to delay.

Government lawyers had asked the court to set joint bail hearings because separate bail hearings would be lengthy and repetitious as the prosecutor would be presenting the same evidence.

Serapio, however, argued that joint bail hearings would delay the proceeding and would deprive him of his constitutional right to a speedy trial.

Serapio cited a 1995 Supreme Court ruling (Dacanay vs the People) where the high court ruled that the inconvenience of repetitive presentation of evidence cannot be given preference over a person’s right to speedy trial. – With Jose Rodel Clapano