Comelec insists Eddie Gil a nuisance bet

Government lawyers compared presidential aspirant Eddie Gil yesterday to an emperor who "embarrassingly insists" that he has clothes on even if he is really naked.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) insisted before the Supreme Court (SC) that Gil’s disqualification as a nuisance candidate should be upheld and that he must be investigated by law enforcement agencies and the Anti-Money Laundering Council for declaring ownership of a $10-billion account in a bank in the Netherlands.

"He only has entertainment value that is wearing thin," the Comelec, through the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), told the SC in a 23-page comment.

The OSG said the certificate of bank deposit dated Feb. 26, 2004 that Gil attached to his petition did not disprove the findings of the Comelec that he could not launch a legitimate nationwide campaign.

Gil submitted to the SC a certificate of his $10-billion deposit at the ING Bank N.V. head office at 2631 Strawinskylaan, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

"We further confirm/stipulate that the subject funds are good, clean, clear funds of non-criminal origin and have no involvement to terrorist activities," the certificate read.

It was signed by C. Maas, said to be a director of the bank, and E. Dralans, head of operations.

"The bank certificate seriously appears to be counterfeit. For a supposedly international bank guarantee, the paper on which the certificate is printed has no security features. Curiously, the certificate also contains some escape clause that would prevent this Honorable Court and the Comelec from verifying its authenticity," the OSG said.

Included in the certificate is a clause that states: "This proof of funds may only be verified on a bank-to-bank level via a swift, no walk-in, no fax, and/or telephone confirmation allowed."

The OSG asked the SC to direct law enforcement agencies, including the Anti-Money Laundering Council, to investigate the authenticity of the bank certificate.

"The issue is not the purported wealth of petitioner but his sincerity to run a bona fide campaign," the OSG said.

The OSG also explained that the Comelec did not commit a grave abuse of discretion in disqualifying Gil for being a nuisance candidate because the evidence against him consisted of confirmed reports on his brushes with restaurant owners and jeepney drivers and operators, the various civil and criminal cases filed against him, the desertion of his Partido Isang Bansa Isang Diwa by some of his senatorial candidates, and the glaring discrepancies in his various certificates of candidacy.