Madrigal wants authenticity of late aunt's will checked

MANILA, Philippines - Senator Ana Consuelo "Jamby" Madrigal on Monday filed a petition to the Makati Regional Trial Court to order the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to look into the authenticity of her billionaire aunt’s last will and testament. Madrigal also sought the suspension of the court’s September 20, 2006 order declaring the will of Consuelo “Chito” Madrigal-Collantes valid and genuine. The Senator is accusing her relatives of forging her deceased aunt's will to make it appear that she did not leave any fortune to Consuelo Madrigal Foundation, a foundation Madrigal established for the poor in 1997. Madrigal said that her aunt had made it known years ago that most of her wealth will go the foundation, which provides scholarship and financial assistance to thousands of beneficiaries. “Quite clearly, the examination of the questioned document is necessarily warranted in this instant case,” Madrigal’s said in the 14-page motion filed at the sale of presiding judge Oscar Pimentel. “Moreover, pending the results of such examination, it is also necessary to suspend the issuance of the Certificate of Allowance and Certificate of Finality of the Amended Decision dated 20 September 2006 in the instant case,” it added. According to Madrigal’s counsel, Ernesto Francisco, the NBI’s Questioned Document Division will be able to prove that Collantes’ signature on her supposed will that her lawyers submitted in court for probate was faked. Francisco’s motion said the difference in Collantes’ signatures on the will and Verification and Certification of Non-Forum Shopping, which are both dated March 22, 2006, clearly shows that one of them is forged. “In other words, these two documents which were supposedly signed on the same day appear to contain two sets of signatures belonging to two different individuals. Of these two sets of signatures, only one belongs to the deceased Consuelo “Chito” Madrigal-Collantes,” he said. Franciso said the NBI test results will be used in support of the senator’s petition to intervene in the case and stop the distribution of her aunt’s properties to the named heirs. Other documents which Madrigal asked to be examined by the NBI include a Solemn Undertaking dated February 15, 2007 and a letter dated September 20, 2007 addressed to Intercontinental Development Corporation. - GMANews.TV