CA junks Ampatuan bid to inspect frozen assets

MANILA, Philippines - The Court of Appeals (CA) has junked with finality the bid of former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governor Zaldy Ampatuan to have his frozen bank accounts and assets inspected.

In a two-page resolution, the appellate court’s former special second division dismissed for lack of merit Ampatuan’s motion for reconsideration, saying there is “no compelling reason to modify or reverse” its earlier resolution.

The CA said the arguments raised by the appellants were a rehash of their previous ones.

Court of Appeals Associate Justice Celia Librea-Leagogo wrote the resolution, which was concurred in by Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr. and Associate Justice Elihu Ybañez.

With the ruling, the freeze order on Ampatuan’s assets will remain in effect until Dec. 2. The freeze order was issued by the CA last June through a request of the Anti-Money Laundering Council, which said the Ampatuans may have used the accounts and properties in committing fraud, such as amassing up to P1 billion in ill-gotten wealth.

The accounts and properties in question belong to 28 members of the Ampatuan family, led by its patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr.