Ex-justice secretary runs to SC for relief
MANILA, Philippines—The Sandiganbayan Monday issued an arrest warrant for former Justice Secretary Hernando Perez and his wife in connection with the $2-million extortion complaint lodged by former Manila Rep. Mark Jimenez.
Perez was not immediately available for comment. Phone calls and text messages from the Philippine Daily Inquirer went unanswered. Perez was not in his office either at the University of Batangas in Batangas City, where he is president.
Hours earlier, Perez and his wife filed an urgent manifestation asking the Supreme Court to order the Sandiganbayan to defer issuing and serving any warrants against them until the high tribunal rules on their petition to reverse the Ombudsman's recommendation they be prosecuted.
The extortion complaint stemmed from the $470 million build-rehabilitate-operate-transfer contract covering the Caliraya-Botocan-Kalayaan hydroelectric plant in Laguna that was signed in 1998 between the National Power Corp. and the Argentina-based Industrias Metalurgicas Pescarmona Sociedad Anonima (IMPSA).
Charges were subsequently aired that former President Joseph Estrada had been offered $14 million to approve the contract. After Estrada was ousted in 2001, Perez allegedly went to Jimenez demanding $2 million. In exchange, Jimenez would not be forced to reveal the people involved in the alleged bribery scandal against Estrada.
Estrada has denied any wrongdoing, claiming the IMPSA contract was finalized four days after he was ousted during Edsa II which installed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. This was after Perez as justice secretary issued the required opinion declaring that the deal was aboveboard.
Jimenez later withdrew his accusation against Perez, saying he had forgiven him.
Bail set at P30,000 each
The First Division, chaired by Justice Diosdado Peralta, issued the warrant for the arrest of Perez, his wife Rosario and brother-in-law Ramon Arceo Monday afternoon, and set bail at P30,000 each.
A case against the three for violation of Section 3-B of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act is pending in the First Division – one of the four cases they're facing before the Sandiganbayan.
"To avoid arrest, they can come here and post bail," Manuel Torio, supervising judicial staff officer of the Sandiganbayan's security and sheriff service, said in an interview.
The warrant will be circulated among the Central Police District, National Bureau of Investigation, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, and the National Capital Regional Police Office on Tuesday, he said.
The Perez couple's address is listed as 30 Bonifacio Street, Old Balara, Quezon City, while Arceo's is 3 Dao Street, Valle Verde Subdivision, Pasig City.
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