NBI team flies to Nevada for Atong Ang

A three-man team from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will leave Thursday evening for Las Vegas, Nevada to bring an erstwhile close ally of deposed President Joseph Estrada back to the Philippines. Radio station dzBB said businessman Charlie "Atong" Ang will be taken into custody by NBI special task force chief Reynaldo Esmeralda, NBI Interpol chief Claro de Castro and an unidentified agent. Upon arriving in the Philippines, Ang will be temporarily housed inside the NBI jail at the bureau's headquarters along Taft Avenue in Manila City, the same report said. Esmeralda and De Castro got the green light to fetch Ang in the US upon the marching orders of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez. The NBI said Esmeralda and his colleagues are scheduled to leave at 11 p.m. Thursday. In his order signed on October 25, Gonzales said Esmeralda and De Castro "are hereby directed and authorized to travel on official time to the US from Nov. 2 to 9, 2006." Ang, who was arrested in Nevada upon the request of the Philippine government in 2001, is an accused in the pluder case confronting former President Joseph Estrada. However, the Sandiganbayan Special Division has ended its trial on Estrada's plunder and perjury charges and may soon issue its decision on the matter, with the May 2007 elections about six months away. Gonzalez expressed doubts last September that Ang may testify in the Estrada trial, adding that the businessman may be tried separately on plunder charges. The United States district court already postponed Ang's extradition hearing four times. The US State Department reportedly asked the Philippines through a diplomatic note to repatriate Ang by November 11 at the latest. "The decision of Ang's extraditability was issued on Sept. 11, 2006 by a US Magistrate Judge after the extradition proceedings in the US District Court for the District of Nevada. Ang did not seek a review of the said decision, hence, there is no bar for his extradition to the Philippines," said NBI Director Nestor Mantaring. Asked if Ang would be tapped as a witness in the Estrada trial, Esmeralda said that, "I can't comment on that ... Our only tasks are to escort him back here and to provide security to him and nothing more." Death threats Radio station dzBB quoted Gonzalez as saying Thursday that Ang claimed that he was already getting death threats in the US. Gonzalez said Ang relayed the information through a phone conversation five days ago. A certain "Zubia" purportedly told Ang that the latter may be murdered before boarding the plane back to the Philippines. The Justice chief added that if he had his way, Ang should be detained at the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City since this was the "safest place" for him. However, Gonzalez admitted it was still up to the Sandiganbayan to determine where Ang should be held. Me, worry? Meanwhile, Estrada maintained Thursday that Ang's homecoming was not a worrisome development. He noted that Ang already testified before the Senate blue ribbon committee that claims that the latter handed him some P130-million in tobacco excise taxes were completely false. Ang was reacting then to allegations hurled by Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson, another erstwhile Estrada ally, stating that the transaction happened at the former president's home at Polk Street in Greenhills, San Juan. Estrada added that Singson fabricated stories because the governor merely wanted to get back at him. Ang himself swore under oath that Singson was lying, the former president said. He said Thursday that changes in Ang's testimony would only work against the businessman and reduce the latter's credibility. Singson had a falling out with Estrada supposedly over Bingo 2-Ball operations in Ilocos, which the governor opposed because it would purportedly take away revenues from the jueteng illegal numbers game. Estrada has denied such allegations.-GMANews.TV