DOJ refuses to stop Delfin Lee probe, orders counter-affidavit by July 7

The Department of Justice has resumed its preliminary investigation on two more batches of syndicated estafa complaints against property developer and Globe Asiatique president Delfin Lee.

Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Ma. Emilia Victorio on Monday said the DOJ panel looking into the complaints has ruled with finality to deny Lee's camp motion to suspend the preliminary probe by denying his motion for reconsideration.

"We denied the motion to suspend the preliminary investigation because sa TRO [temporary restraining order] ng SC, it was very clear. So we have to proceed," Victorio told reporters after the preliminary probe, which Lee attended clad in a blue polo.

Victorio was referring to the TRO issued by the Supreme Court Second Division in March against an April 2013 ruling by the Regional Trial Court Branch 167 that stopped the DOJ preliminary investigation on Lee.

Victorio said Lee's motion to suspend was first denied by the DOJ panel on May 6.

As part of the resumption of the DOJ probe, the investigating panel ordered Lee to submit a counter-affidavit on the third and fourth batches of complaints filed by a total of 27 complainants who are homeowners at GA's Xevera subdivision in Bacolor, Pampanga.

Lee was given more than three weeks, or until July 7, to submit his counter-affidavit.

Lee, founder and president of Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corp., is currently detained at the Pampanga provincial jail on earlier charges of syndicated estafa for allegedly defrauding the government of P6.6 billion in housing loan proceeds for home buyers, whom investigators later found to be fictitious or had incomplete documents.

In 2008, Globe Asiatique entered into a Funding Commitment Agreement with the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG) for a housing project, for which the firm allegedly received at least P6.6 billion in housing loan proceeds.

However, an inquiry by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) supposedly showed Lee made false representations and submitted fake documents to secure the loans.

From the 9,951 alleged Pag-IBIG borrowers in the Globe Asiatique deals, 1,000 could not be located, 400 denied applying for housing loans, and 200 had incomplete documents for the transaction.

Some of the buyers were allegedly fake members of Pag-IBIG, while others were ineligible for membership. Another group of buyers used spurious loan accounts. — JDS, GMA News