Ex-DOJ chief charged for $2-million extortion case

MANILA, Philippines - The Ombudsman on Friday filed four criminal charges against former Justice Secretary Hernando Perez over the $2-million extortion case filed by former Manila Representative Mark Jimenez. This came two days after the Ombudsman rejected the former Cabinet official's bid to dismiss the case. Radio dzBB's Mao dela Cruz reported that Perez was charged before the Sandiganbayan for robbery/extortion, falsification of public document and violation of sections 3 and 7 of Republic Act 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act). In the same complaint, robbery charges were also filed against Perez' wife, Rosario, brother-in-law Ramon Arceo and business associate Ernest Escaler. On Wednesday, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez ordered the filing of criminal charges against Perez over the $2-million extortion charge filed by Jimenez. In her resolution, Gutierrez said Perez and his co-accused "took advantage of his position as the then DOJ Secretary by demanding Jimenez to deliver the amount of US$2M in connection with the execution of affidavits to be used in the case against the former President Estrada." The charges of Falsification of Public Documents against Perez stemmed from his non-disclosure in his 2001 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN) of the amount of US$1.7 million deposited in his and his wife's bank accounts. Gutierrez first ordered the filing of extortion charges against Perez and his three co-accused in January last year. In junking the motion, Gutierrez said "the ruling of the trial court finding the public utterances or remarks of Jimenez as derogatory could not affect the criminal complaints pending before the Office of the Ombudsman." On Oct. 2 last year, Jimenez executed an affidavit of desistance to "withdraw and dismiss unconditionally and with prejudice all the charges against the respondents in the above-entitled cases." Perez used the affidavit in filing a motion to dismiss before the Ombudsman two days later. But Gutierrez likewise denied the motion, saying a motion to dismiss is a prohibited pleading pursuant to Sec. 4 (d) of Administratrive Order No. 7 which states that "no motion to dismiss shall be allowed except for lack of jurisdiction." Jimenez had accused Perez of extorting $2 million so that he would stop forcing the former solon to execute damaging affidavits against certain individuals in the administration of former President Joseph Estrada. He claimed Perez "threatened and intimidated me and my family with bodily harm and incarceration in a city jail with hardened criminals and drug addicts unless I execute damaging affidavits against Pres. Estrada and his cronies and associates", he was "forced to come across with US$2 million." - GMANews.TV