Legacy's De los Angeles arrested over estafa case

A cop blotters Legacy Group president Celso delos Angeles (center) in Camp Karingal on Tuesday after his arrest. GMANews.TV

Businessman Celso de los Angeles, the principal suspect in the Legacy insurance and pension scam, was arrested Tuesday at the St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City due to estafa charges filed against him in Leyte. De los Angeles had been confined at the hospital after undergoing treatment for his stage 4 throat cancer and was later transferred to the Cathedral condominium inside the hospital's premises, where he was arrested. Members of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Warrant Section arrested the ailing businessman and brought him to their headquarters in Camp Karingal in Sikatuna Village where he will be staying until he is turned over to the court, a radio report said. “We will coordinate for his timely turnover to the court," assured Superintendent Antonio Yarra of the QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit. De los Angeles was arrested based on a warrant issued by Judge Clinton Nuevo of the Ormoc City Regional Trial Court Branch 12. No bail was recommended for his temporary freedom. Arnel Galacio, a lawyer representing the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), said the warrant was for a syndicated estafa charge they filed against De los Angeles last year. De los Angeles, whom the report said objected to his arrest, was accused of siphoning off millions of pesos from plan holders and depositors of his companies. The BSP filed the case March 6 last year in connection with the P487 million of solicited funds received from depositors of First Interstate Bank (Rural Bank of Kananga, Leyte), which was under the Legacy Group, that De los Angeles and his co-accused have “willfully, unlawfully and fraudulently misappropriated." Galacio said they have already requested hospital personnel to look over De los Angeles’ health condition while in detention. “We understand for humanitarian reasons, we asked the St. Luke's to send an ambulance and make sure he is properly taken care of," he said. De los Angeles has repeatedly denied the accusations against him. — Mark Dalan Merueñas/KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV