Dizon: P1B worth of Discaya properties forwarded to ICI, AMLC

The Department of Public Works and Highway has already forwarded to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure and the Anti-Money Laundering Council a list of properties owned by Discaya couple Pacifico “Curlee” and Cezarah Rowena “Sarah” for possible forfeiture.

This was disclosed by Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon at a press conference on Friday.

“We have already received the list from LRA (Land Registration Authority) and we have already turned it over to the ICI and AMLC,” Dizon said in a mix of Filipino and English.

The P1 billion worth of properties owned by the Discaya couple were already frozen by AMLC two days after it submitted its letter to the anti-dirty money body, according to the DPWH chief.

Last Tuesday, the AMLC announced the Court of Appeals issued a freeze order on 836 bank accounts, 12 e-wallets, 24 insurance policies, 81 motor vehicles, and 12 pieces of real estate potentially linked to persons and companies being investigated for alleged corruption in flood control project.

The latest order brought the estimated total value of frozen assets to P2.9 billion, a figure that the AMLC described as “the most extensive asset freeze since the probe began.” 

Dizon, meanwhile, declined to specify which Discaya properties were already frozen due to sensitivity and data privacy issues.

“But definitely, included here was the mansion that was thrown with mud by our fellow citizens,” he said.

For his part, DPWH Undersecretary Ricardo Bernabe III said that the properties and assets were frozen to prevent its disposal through sale and “later on if found liable they [AMLC] can go for forfeiture proceedings.”

“Actually… they can file civil forfeiture proceedings if found that the proceeds used to buy these assets are from unlawful activities, money laundering activities,” Bernabe said.

AMLC Executive Director Matthew David earlier said that the body has yet to file "cases for civil forfeiture against these assets, among other assets that we will discover, and also a separate money laundering case involving all those who are involved as identified by Secretary Vince… in the money laundering scheme and corruption cases.”

The AMLC and the ICI have inked a memorandum of agreement that will allow the two agencies to share information and recover assets linked to corruption in flood control and other government projects. —AOL, GMA Integrated News