Prosecutors ready to prosecute Atong Ang

Government lawyers, elated over the news of former presidential buddy Charlie "Atong" Ang’s imminent extradition to the Philippines to face plunder charges, said they are ready to prosecute him.

The way was cleared for Ang’s extradition after United States Judge Lawrence Leavitt rejected Monday the contention of Ang’s lawyer that plunder does not meet requirements for extradition.

US Justice Department lawyer Jeffrey Cole of the US embassy in Manila told Leavitt in July that Philippine authorities have promised to waive the death penalty if Ang is extradited.

Chief Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa Ignacio, the lead counsel pinning down Ang, who was former adviser to deposed President Joseph Estrada, said they were all "very happy" to learn of Leavitt’s decision.

Villa Ignacio said a prosecution panel has already been designated to tackle the case against Ang once he is extradited.

"We are very prepared for the eventuality (Ang’s extradition). In fact, we have already taken that up with Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo and prosecutors were designated to handle the case," he said.

He added that it would be "better" if Yolanda Ricaforte, another fugitive hiding in the US, will also be extradited to face trial.

Ricaforte was Estrada’s private accountant who was implicated in his plunder trial. Extraditing her or Ang, Villa Ignacio said, will not hamper the case, since both have yet to be arraigned and will have to be put in jail prior to their trial for the non-bailable crime of plunder.

"It (could) be a separate hearing," he said, adding that the presentation of the defense panel, should the extradition push through, will be different from the hearings that would be held for the presentation of evidence against Ang or Ricaforte. Both Ang and Ricaforte fled to the US after Estrada was ousted by people power in January 2001.

Villa Ignacio said that once Ang is turned over by US authorities, they would move for his detention at the Quezon City jail, where most of the suspects in the plunder case are being held, rather than Camp Crame.

"It’s dangerous at Camp Crame, you know," Villa Ignacio joked. "(Ang) might invite the policemen there for tong-its (card game) or, worse, put up a casino inside the police camp."

Government prosecutors have "additional evidence" against Ang, Villa Ignacio said, but declined to say what the evidence was because it is not advisable for the prosecution to lay all its cards on the table yet.

"Of course we have additional evidence against (Ang)... during the time of our presentation of evidence against (Estrada), we felt that it was more than enough to convict (Estrada)," he said.

The evidence against Ang, he added are "not just limited to" the P130 million in kickbacks from the tobacco excise tax and jueteng payoffs Ang allegedly received.

Ang was arrested in a Las Vegas hotel in November 2001. He posted $300,000 bail for his temporary liberty. He was said to have applied for political asylum in the US, where he is fighting the extradition case against him.

The US Embassy in Manila said in a statement that the recent ruling against Ang "is the result of bilateral cooperation under the US-RP Treaty on Extradition." — With Marvin Sy