EDITORIAL - Slow justice

Public jubilation would have greeted the announcement that the Sandiganbayan had frozen all the assets of deposed President Joseph Estrada — if the court order had been issued a year ago. But this is how the wheels of justice turn in this country. The criminal justice system is so slow that potential suspects can leave the country long before an order stopping their departure can be issued. Bank accounts are frozen long after they have been emptied. And real estate assets are frozen long after their ownership has been transferred.

Prosecutors had sought a freeze order on the assets of Estrada and his co-accused as early as Aug. 16 last year. The order was finally issued this week, covering the assets not only of the deposed President but also of his former gambling consultant Charlie "Atong" Ang and associate Yolanda Ricaforte. Ang is being held without bail in a Los Angeles jail, fighting the Philippine government’s efforts to have him extradited. Ricaforte is believed to be in the United States, but her exact whereabouts are unknown. Both Ang and Ricaforte left the country at the height of the military-backed popular uprising that ousted Estrada.

The deposed president has maintained his innocence while his wife, now a senator, has defended the source of their wealth. The court order covers, among other things, bank deposits amounting to more than P201 million under the Erap Muslim Youth Foundation. The order does not cover controversial mansions allegedly built by Estrada for his mistresses.

There are those who point out that it’s better late than never, but others wonder if an order issued so late in a plunder case will still do much good. Not that this is anything new; the government does not have a good track record in going after wealth suspected to have been amassed illegally. Just consider the government’s pursuit of the Marcoses’ wealth, which has largely gotten nowhere, and you’ll wonder if the plunder case against Estrada is headed in the same direction.