Solons disappointed over ex-DOJ chief’s ‘scripted’ acquittal

MANILA, Philippines - Two opposition senators on Tuesday expressed disappointment over the Sandiganbayan’s junking of the $2-million extortion charges against former Justice secretary Hernando “Nani” Perez and three others. In a text message, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero said the decision of the first and second division of the Sandiganbayan could either be “scripted” or “due to the incompetence of the Ombudsman.” “Either way, justice was not achieved for the people,” Escudero said. Sen. Panfilo Lacson, for his part, described the decision as “disappointing” and blamed the Ombudsman for it. The anti-graft court, in its 10-page resolution, held that the Ombudsman lost its authority to file the case due to a violation of the defendants’ constitutional right to speedy resolution of their case. It upheld the defense argument that there was an unusual delay in the investigation because the Ombudsman took almost seven years to come up with a resolution for the indictment of the four accused. “That’s the irony, that's the system… But we must keep hoping and we must keep struggling to really serve justice,” Lacson said. Acquitted along with Perez was his wife Rosario, brother-in-law Ramon Arceo and businessman Ernest Escaler. The case stemmed from the charges filed by former Manila congressman Mark Jimenez accusing Perez of trying to extort $2 million from him in exchange for the dropping of his name from the list of respondents liable for the anomalous $470-million deal with the Argentinean firm IMPSA (Impresas Metalurgicas Pescarmona SA). The deal was for the rehabilitation of the 750-megawatt Caliraya-Botocan-Kalayaan (CBK) power plant in Laguna, which Jimenez, then presidential adviser for Latin affairs, brokered. - GMANews.TV