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.â€
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.â€
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.