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By Francis Earl A. Cueto and Jomar Canlas, Reporters
Former President Joseph Estrada on Thursday
denied having any link to the more than P1 billion recently
discovered in Banco de Oro.
The antigraft Sandiganbayan can take it anytime
it wants to since it does not belong to him, he added.
Estrada, during a television interview,
maintained that the money belongs to Jaime Dichaves, who is wanted
by the courts. He said the P1 billion is an old account at
Equitable-PCI Bank. Banco de Oro had merged with Equitable. Estrada
added that the account only looked new because of the merger.
The former president lashed out at Chief State
Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Igancio, who he said is spreading the
“disinformation” that he owns the money.
The Sandiganbayan, however, acknowledged that
the P1 billion is intact under personal trust account number
101-78056-1.
To a two-page report submitted on Thursday by
its chief sheriff, Edgardo Urieta, to the Sandiganbayan Special
Division, was attached the December 14, 2007, letter of lawyer
Gerardo Banzon, head of the bank’s legal advisory and research
department. The letter said the money, in stock investments and
trust deposits, remains with Banco de Oro.
The account covers P500 million listed under
promissory note and chattel mortgage, 450 million shares of
Waterfront Philippines with an estimated value of P427.5 million (at
today’s P0.95 for every share), 300 million shares of Wellex
Industries worth some P84 million (at today’s P0.28 for every
share), and cash deposits in a common trust fund investment account
containing P95.76 million that will mature on July 25 this year.
Banzon said no one has touched the money
although Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Lilian Hefti issued
a constructive distraint on January 29, 2001. It was sent to
Equitable PCI Bank. Estrada was ousted from Malacañang on January
21 of that year. Distraint means to seize someone’s property in
order to obtain payment for other money owed.
Hefti, then-BIR assistant commissioner,
identified pieces of property to be covered by a forfeiture order
are assets of Estrada, alias Jose Velarde, and Kelvin Garcia.
She had issued the order to protect the interest
of the government and to prevent the Estradas from dissipating or
conveying their properties without authority from the bureau.
In November 2007, Equitable-PCI Bank reported
that only P2,770.69 remains in the Jose Velarde account. The
Sandiganbayan had ordered forfeiture of P189 million from this
account.
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