CA stops Makati judge favoring GA exec

MANILA, Philippines - The Court of Appeals (CA) has stopped a Makati City judge from implementing its earlier rulings favoring Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corp. (GA) president Delfin Lee.

In a resolution promulgated last March 27, the CA issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) enjoining Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 28 Judge Eugene Paras, who granted the civil suit of Lee against Pag-IBIG Fund (Home Development Mutual Fund).

Speaking through Justice Stephen Cruz, the CA ruled that unless restrained, the decisions rendered by Paras will further place Pag-IBIG Fund “in an unjust and inequitable position, and will cause grave and irreparable injury, not only to the petitioner, but more importantly, to the public in general.”

Following the filing of a syndicated estafa case against Lee in relation to GA’s alleged fraudulent transactions with the Pag-IBIG Fund, GA retaliated by filing a civil case against the Fund before the Makati court.

Paras then summarily decided the case in favor of GA without a formal presentation of evidence, the CA said.

In issuing the TRO, the CA noted that what is remarkable is that Pag-IBIG Fund had been “defrauded of billions of pesos already, for which numerous other cases, including criminal and civil cases, against private respondents are already pending before the appropriate tribunals.”

The CA granted the petition of Pag-IBIG Fund, which alleged that the RTC gravely abused his discretion when he summarily rendered the assailed decisions in favor of GA without the benefit of a trial.

Meanwhile, both Lee and his son, Dexter, remain at large despite the outstanding warrants for their arrest issued by a Pampanga court trying the syndicated estafa charges against them.