Mga abusadong 'wangwangero'

Former Manila congressman Mark Jimenez filed estafa charges yesterday against three of his children and a son-in-law for allegedly conspiring to sell his shares in a local telecommunications firm without his permission while he was in prison in the United States.

In a six-page complaint for estafa through falsification lodged with the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office, Jimenez, whose real name is Mario Crespo, accused his children Marcel Crespo, Virgilio Crespo and Myla Crespo-Villanueva of malversing more than $45 million worth of shares in Meridian Telekoms that he bought from Victor “Vic-Vic” Villavicencio in 1999 for P14 million.

Myla’s husband, Generoso Villanueva, was also included in the estafa charges filed by Jimenez.

Following the filing of the case, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez ordered Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan to include Marcel, Virgilio, Myla and Generoso in the bureau’s watchlist.

When reached for comment, Marcel said, “Let’s not veer away from the issue which is kidnapping plain and simple. My father is  throwing these distractions, noise and conspiracy theories. What does Danding or anyone have to do with  anything? Let's keep the focus on what it is, his kidnapping of my stepmom, and in violation of a court order.”

Marcel's stepmother, Caroline, is Jimenez’s second wife, who has filed for temporary protection from her husband. She was allegedly abducted and transported to a drug rehabilitation facility partly owned by Jimenez’s niece.

Jimenez accused businessman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. of using his wife in a conspiracy to destroy him, an allegation Cojuangco denied.

In his complaint, Jimenez said he became the sole beneficial owner of the stockholding of Meridian Telekoms, which he bought from Villavicencio in 1999 with a check made out by his nominee, Rene Maria Dos Remedios, for P14 million.

 “While I was in prison in the United States for illegal campaign contributions, illegally, surreptitiously, with evident premeditation and conspiracy with one another sold to Smart Communications. All the stocks held by the above-persons in trust without my knowledge and approval, for a total purchase price of $45 million payable in three tranches,” Jimenez said in his complaint.

According to Jimenez, the first tranche of 20 percent of the purchase price was payable in 2004; the second tranche of 29 percent and third and final tranche of 51 percent became payable at the end of 2005.

Jimenez said that in order to accomplish the sale, Myla and Marcel told PLDT and Smart Communications chairman Manuel Pangilinan and ePLDT president Ray Espinosa, in the presence of Dos Remedios, that they had his full approval to execute the sale.

“Pangilinan was duped into believing their continuous fraudulent, deceitful and premeditated actions, and therefore agreed to purchase Meridian Telekoms,” Jimenez said.

He claimed that while he was in prison, nobody told him about the sale of Meridian Telekoms until mid-2005, during which time Marcel and Myla communicated with him on a reguar basis.

“The actions of Marcel Crespo and Myla Villanueva of continuous deceit for two years was an inhuman act perpetuated against me, their father,” he said.

Jimenez also said that after the rest of his family discovered the sale, the respondents allegedly persuaded their other siblings and even his wife not to object to it.

He alleged that the respondents convinced the rest of his family that they would be taken care of through a trust document that “never materialized and which was totally illegal since I had not even ordered them to create such a trust with my money.”

Jimenez said Marcel and Myla not only did not put up the trust, but kept $22 million in their personal accounts.