Palace: So what if Bolante returns?

Malacañang is not worried over the possible return to the country of former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante after a US district court denied his petition for a writ of habeas corpus to prevent his extradition.

Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor and Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Gabriel Claudio, in separate phone interviews, maintained that the Arroyo administration had nothing to do with a purported fertilizer fund scam involving P728 million, which Bolante allegedly diverted and used in the May 2004 presidential election on orders from the Palace.

US District Court Judge Lynn Adelman had denied the petition for a writ of habeas corpus filed by Bolante in a bid to prevent his extradition to the Philippines.

Adelman said the court had no jurisdiction to hear Bolante’s case.

Bolante had filed a habeas corpus petition objecting to his detention and sought bail to win temporary liberty to fight his case. He also demanded that his US visa be restored, alleging it was illegally revoked.

Bolante is currently detained at the Kenosha detention center in Wisconsin, near Chicago, until his case is resolved. A defeat for him would mean he will be forced to return to Manila.

He was arrested on arrival at the Los Angeles airport from Seoul, South Korea on July 7 after his US visa was allegedly revoked.

It has been reported that Bolante is seeking political asylum in the US to avoid being questioned by the Senate regarding the allegations that he misused the fertilizer funds to reward politicians who supported President Arroyo in the 2004 presidential polls.

Defensor said that Malacañang is not involved in the cases filed against Bolante.

"We don’t have anything to do with him (Bolante). He is on his own, a private person after he refused the government’s offer of legal assistance," Defensor said. "He is very capable of explaining himself."

"We are not affected by the prospects of him either staying (in the US) or going home," Claudio said. "We’ll let the issues take care of themselves."

Opposition leaders claimed that Malacañang is doing everything it can to stop Bolante’s return to Manila and prevent him from testifying before the Senate regarding the fertilizer fund scam that could be the key to another possible impeachment bid against Mrs. Arroyo.

Another Palace official, however, admitted that it would be better for the administration if Bolante remain in the US for the time being until the local political situation had fully stabilized.

"When he (Bolante) comes home, let him explain his actions. But it would be better if he stays under the radar, not because we have something to hide but because he will again be used to destabilize the government and the economy would suffer again," said the officials who refused to be identified. — Paolo Romero