Defrauded Pag-IBIG members closer to justice with Delfin Lee arrest

(Updated 2:22 p.m.) Defrauded members of the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund) are closer to justice with Globe Asiatique founder Delfin Lee's arrest, Vice President Jejomar Binay said Friday.

 

Binay, who chairs the Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees, said he hopes the estafa case against Lee will now be pursued to bring justice to the victims.

 

"Patunay ito na determinado ang inyong pamahalaan na paharapin sa hustisya ang developer na gumamit ng ghost borrowers at mga pekeng dokumento para makakuha ng mahigit P6 bilyon mula sa Pag-IBIG Fund, pera na mula sa kontribusyon ng mga manggagawa at karaniwang tao na miyembro ng Pag-IBIG," Binay said in a statement.

 

He also backed Justice Secretary Leila de Lima's stand that there is nothing irregular with Lee's arrest.

 

"The fact is andoon pa. Standing warrant pa 'yun. Nag-issue pa nga ng warrant... Nakatatawa 'yung sinasabi nilang wala na," Binay said in a separate interview.

 

Lee, who is accused of using fake documents to secure billions in pesos' worth of loans for "ghost" borrowers, was arrested by police on Thursday at a hotel in Manila over a P6.6-billion syndicated estafa case.

 

The businessman's camp insisted that he cannot be arrested, since the warrant against Lee has already been quashed.

Earlier in a text message to reporters, Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. said Lee's arrest is a "clear opportunity to make him accountable for the serious charges filed against him."

Until his arrest, Lee was included in the government list of "Big Five Fugitives" along with former Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes and his brother Mario Reyes, former Army general Jovito Palparan, Dinagat Rep. Ruben Ecleo, and New People’s Army (NPA) leaders Benito Tiamzon and Jorge Madlos.

Evidence vs. Lee ready

 

In a television interview, Pag-IBIG Fund lawyer Sandra Coronel said her camp is ready to pursue the case against Lee.

 

"Handa na tayo na maghain ng ebidensya laban sa kanya. Buong umaga na ako tinatawagan ng mga nabiktima. Gusto nila makita si Delfin Lee kung talagang nakakulong," Coronel said over GMA News TV's "Balitanghali."

 

Binay also believes the case against the arrested businessman is strong.

 

"Saku-sako ang ebidensiya dito. Ang daming ebidensiya dito. 'Di ko malaman kung paano sasabihing walang probable cause 'yun. Abut-abot 'yung kaso 'nun, kaya nga bilyong piso," the vice president said.

 

In 2008, Globe Asiatique entered into a Funding Commitment Agreement with Pag-IBIG for the housing project. It allegedly got at least P6.6 billion in housing loan proceeds for home buyers.

 

However, an investigation 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, and others were ineligible for membership. Another group of buyers used spurious loan accounts.

 

In a ruling last November, the Court of Appeals (CA) granted Lee's petition seeking to stop the hearing of his syndicated estafa case and the recall of the warrant of arrest issued against him by a trial court.

 

The government, the Pag-IBIG Fund, appealed the CA ruling before the Supreme Court, which has yet to rule on the issue. — with a report from Kimberly Jane Tan/RSJ/KBK/KG, GMA News