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By Jomar Canlas, Reporter
Former Justice Secretary Hernando “Nani”
Perez will make his first public appearance Monday after being
indicted by his former subordinate and now Ombudsman Merceditas
Gutierrez before the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan.
The Second Division of the Sandigan-bayan headed
by Justice Edilberto Sandoval has ordered Perez to appear today
before the anti-graft court for his arraignment along with his
co-accused on charges of robbery-extortion.
Perez and his wife Rosario last week posted bail
before the Batangas City Regional Trial Court after being issued
warrants of arrest.
Also expected to appear in person before the
Sandiganbayan are Perez’s brother-in-law Ramon Arceo and business
associate Ernest Escaler.
Perez and his co-accused were ordered to show up
personally before the anti-graft court. They will be asked to plead
either guilty or not guilty.
Under the Rules of Court, an accused may enter
three kinds of plea whether he is guilty or not.
Perez and the other accused may enter the plea
of guilty and they shall be sentenced by the court and the
corresponding penalty shall be imposed.
They may also enter the plea of not guilty or
may not enter any plea. But, in the records of the case, a
not-guilty plea shall be entered. Once a not-guilty plea is entered,
the trial of the case shall proceed.
The case of Perez before the Second Division
will be heard by Justices Sandoval, Teresita Diaz-Baldos, and Samuel
Martires.
The First Division of the Sandiganbayan has set
another arraignment against the accused on May 16, this time on a
graft case filed against them. The case arose from charges of
extortion filed by former Manila Rep. Mark Jimenez. The lawmaker
claimed Perez had forced him to hand over $2 million from a
multimillion energy deal with an Argentine firm.
Another graft case is pending with the Fourth
Division headed by Justice Gregory Ong.
Another case involving Perez’s alleged
falsification of public documents will be heard by the Third
Division headed by Justice Francisco Villaruz. The former Justice
secretary is the sole defendant.
The findings of the Ombudsman resolved that
Perez acted “in conspiracy with Escaler, Arceo, and his wife,
Rosario, [who] took advantage of his position as the then DOJ
[Department of Justice] Secretary by demanding Jimenez to deliver
the amount of $2 million in connection with the execution of
affidavits to be used against the cronies of former President
[Joseph] Estrada.”
According to the Ombudsman, records would show
that Jimenez deposited $2 million on February 23, 2003 in
beneficiary account HO133706 of Coutts Bank in Hong Kong, from Trade
and Commerce Bank, Cayman Islands, through the Chase Manhattan Bank
in New York. Bank documents provided by both Swiss and Hong Kong
authorities clearly established the transfer of funds from
Escaler’s Coutts Bank account to the Rosario and Arceo Swiss
accounts.
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