SC allows China trip of alleged Erap dummy Jaime Dichaves

The Supreme Court has granted the request of businessman Jaime Dichaves, the alleged dummy of former President and incumbent Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, to travel to China for 15 days.

 

“Wherefore, this court, resolves to GRANT petitioner Jaime C. Dichaves’ motion to be allowed to travel to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong for business purposes for fifteen days,” the SC Second Division said in a four-page ruling.

 

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division was furnished with a copy of the ruling only on November 12.

 

In granting his travel request, the SC ordered Dichaves, the alleged owner of the controversial “Jose Velarde” bank accounts during Estrada's impeachment trial, to pay before the Sandiganbayan a travel bond amounting to P1 million.

 

He was also directed to present himself to the Fifth Division Office of the Clerk of Court five days after his expected return to the country.

 

Business trip

 

In his motion, Dichaves said he intends to go to China to personally inspect the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Systems of the company GE Healthcare.

 

Dichaves, president of Quantum Computed Tomography Diagnostic Center, said his company intends to acquire a P1.5 trillion Magnetic Resonance Imaging System from GE Healthcare.

 

Thus, Dichaves said, GE invited him to conduct an ocular inspection of its manufacturing site in Beijing and to undergo observation training in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong where its installed Magnetic Resonance Imaging Systems are located.

 

In a manifestation submitted to the Fifth Division on Friday last week, a copy of which was released to the media only on Monday, Dichaves informed the court that he wishes to undertake the travel from November 14 to 29.

 

Dichaves further told the court that he has already paid in cash the amount of P500,000 on November 12, Thursday, to satisfy the required P1 million travel bond.

 

Based on the court records, Dichaves has earlier posted P500,000 cash bonds during a previous travel which he has yet to withdraw.

 

Plunder case

 

Dichaves is facing a plunder case before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division as co-accused of Estrada in connection with the illegal numbers game jueteng and the alleged anomalies in the purchase of Belle Corporation shares by the government.

 

The Jose Velarde accounts were the alleged dummy accounts of Estrada, where P545-million worth of commissions from “jueteng” payola and as well as P189.7 million worth of alleged kickbacks from the sale of Bell Corporation to Government Service Insurance System and the Social Security System, were allegedly deposited.

 

The Sandiganbayan found Estrada guilty in September 2007, but a month later he was granted executive clemency by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

 

The SC in July 2013, meanwhile, ordered the trial of Dichaves’ case to be indefinitely suspended, after the defense was able to establish that he was not able to participate in the Office of the Ombudsman’s preliminary investigation of the complaint before the case was formally filed to the Sandiganbayan. 

 

The Sandiganbayan had earlier ordered the Ombudsman to conduct a reinvestigation of the case and deferred the issuance of any arrest warrant against him. —KBK, GMA News