DOJ asks AMLAC to probe source of Jimenez money

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez asked the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLAC) yesterday to investigate the source of former Manila congressman Mark Jimenez’s money.

Gonzalez said Jimenez, who returned to the country in December last year after serving two years in a US prison, has been reported to have been donating millions of pesos to various groups.

The former lawmaker was jailed for tax evasion, conspiracy to defraud the US and election financing offenses. The threshold of the law that would enable the AMLAC to investigate any person maintaining bank accounts is only P500,000.

"I am asking the AMLAC to investigate the source of money. If he is throwing P5 million to P10 million somewhere else, we should know the source of his money," Gonzalez said.

Contributions allegedly made by Jimenez include a P50 million pledge to support distressed college education planholders. He was reported to have donated P5 million to the children of policemen, who were among the planholders of a bankrupt company.

Jimenez, former chief executive officer (CEO) and majority shareholder of the Future Tech International Inc. (FTI), had pleaded guilty to two counts of tax evasion and one count of conspiracy to defraud the US and commit election financing offenses before the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Miami Division.

Judge Patricia Sietz sentenced Jimenez to 27 months and also imposed a fine of $1.2 million in restitution.

The former lawmaker was also the one who filed a case against former Justice Secretary Hernando "Nani" Perez . The case is still pending at the Office of the Ombudsman.

He had accused Perez of extorting from him $2 million in exchange for the approval of the power deal with an Argentine firm.

Jimenez is eyeing a comeback in Philippine politics by running for mayor of Manila next year. He was disqualified as representative of the sixth district of Manila in early 2003 for alleged vote buying.