‘Ador’ posts bail for cell phone scam

Has the incredible cellular phone salesman struck again?

Aside from facing perjury charges from Sen. Loren Legarda, military intelligence witness Angelo "Ador" Mawanay also has to deal with an P8-million estafa case filed by a businesswoman last year for his alleged failure to deliver cell phones.

Mawanay posted bail Tuesday before the Manila regional trial court for alleged estafa after a 38-year-old businesswoman said he failed to deliver several cellphones that he boasted he could pry out of Customs.

On the other hand, the perjury rap stemmed from Mawanay’s claiming during a Senate hearing on the alleged criminal activities of Sen. Panfilo Lacson that he delivered P8.9 million worth of smuggled cellphones to Legarda.

In Baguio last week, several people were getting set to file a formal complaint against the cellphone salesman and former police agent for purportedly getting them to trade in their cellphones for new ones that never came.

"He came here with his lawyer to post bail. I think the whole process lasted one hour," Manila RTC Branch 55 clerk of court lawyer Michael Delfin told The STAR.

Delfin said Mawanay, accompanied by a certain Attorney Padilla and at least two plainclothesmen, came at about 1 p.m.

Manila RTC Branch 55, under Judge Hermogenes Liwag, is the same court that ruled to stop the Department of Justice from investigating kidnapping charges against Lacson based on the testimony of another former agent of an anti-crime task force that Lacson used to head.

The estafa case was actually raffled off to the court as early as July 26 last year but it was shelved when Mawanay disappeared. The case was reactivated when Mawanay surfaced to testify against Lacson.

According to the complaint, Mawanay "duped" one Susan Amego of Tondo of P25,000 supposedly as down payment for the cheap cellphones Mawanay promised he could get out of Customs immediately.

Mawanay introduced himself as an employee of the Bureau of Customs, the complaint said.

As it turned out, the Senate witness reneged on his promise and was hauled to the police precinct on Feb. 27 last year by Amego.

Mawanay posted a bail bond of P24,000 while his arraignment was set on Sept. 26.