Sandiganbayan forfeits P102 million in ill-gotten wealth of ex-General Ligot, kin

The Sandiganbayan has ordered retired military Lieutenant General Jacinto Ligot, his wife Erlinda, their three children and two other members of his immediate family members to return P102 million of their ill-gotten assets to the government.

In a 70-page ruling, the anti-graft court said P102 million of the Ligot’s family assets were ill-gotten wealth because the P102 million worth of their wealth did not match Ligot’s lawful income from 2001 to 2004 which only amounted to P2.8 million.

“In 1982, General Ligot had a net worth of P105,000 based on his SALN (Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth). By 2003, he declared a net worth of P3.248 million. Yet, as the evidence shows, he was able to acquire the above listed properties with a total cost of P108,154,832.95 million which he did not declare in his SALNs for 1982 to 2003,” the Sandiganbayan said.

“Wherefore, in view of the foregoing, judgment is rendered granting in part the petition filed by the Republic of the Philippines against the respondents. Accordingly, the following properties amounting to P102 million are hereby declared to have been unlawfully acquired and hence forfeited in favor of the state,” the anti-graft court added.

Some of the ill-gotten wealth assets include:

• cornland in Bukidnon worth P180,000
• paid up shares in Parmil Farms, Inc. worth P575,000
• land in Morong, Rizal worth P2 million
• guardhouse, quarantine house and bodega in Imbayao, Malaybalay worth P568,350
• condominium unit in Rizal province worth P22 million
• condominium unit in Bel-Air, Makati City worth P2.3 million
• house in Stanton, California, United States worth P17.9 million
• deposits and investments in Armed Forces and Police Savings and Loan Association worth P9.2 million
• house in Anaheim, California, United States worth P33.7 million
• poultry building, rest house and covered terrace in Malaybalay, Bukidnon worth P4.5 million
• a building in Malaybalay, Bukidnon worth P6.7 million,
• 2001 Toyota Hilux worth P1.078 million, among others.

The forfeiture case against the Ligot family stemmed from the  lifestyle investigation conducted by the Field Investigation Office of the Office of the Ombudsman to determine whether the wealth and/or properties that Ligot acquired while in government service were manifestly out of proportion to his salary and other lawful income.

Ligot started in the military service in 1982 until his retirement in 2004. -Llanesca Panti/NB, GMA News