Written by
Angie M. Rosales
Tuesday, 25 March 2014 00:00 [
tribune.net.ph ]
The housing scam that
was pursued by Vice President Jejomar Binay three years ago is likely to be
re-investigated in the Senate following a move to look into the circumstances
that led to the arrest of Globe Asiatique founder Delfin Lee.
Sen. JV Ejercito
yesterday said that his committee on urban planning, housing and resettlement
will be conducting inquiry into the alleged P7-billion housing loan scam
vis-a-vis the issue of purported delisting of Lee from the Philippine National
Police’ (PNP) roster of so-called “most wanted” in the country.
Ejercito said PNP
officials will have a lot of explaining to do when his committee calls on Lee
to appear before them in a public hearing scheduled next month.
It was the Vice
President who ordered in 2010 the filing of syndicated estafa charges against
Lee and four other GA officials that caused the issuance of arrest warrant
against the latter following the discovery on the alleged ghost borrowers and
fake documents in securing loans from Pag-IBIG Fund by those who supposedly bought
homes in the property developer’s Xevera housing project in Mabalacat,
Pampanga.
He said the
investigation would focus on Globe Asiatique Housing scam as well as the
policies of the Pag-IBIG Fund.
Ejercito said committee
is also planning to invite PNP officials led by PNP Director General chief Alan
Purisima to shed light on the alleged delisting of Lee and the sudden removal
of the police officer who headed the team that arrested the fugitive
businessman.
Reports said that
Purisima allegedly issued a letter ordering the removal of Lee’s name from the
most wanted list while it was the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection
Group (CIDG) that issued the certification that arrest warrant issued against
the businessman has already been removed from the warrant database.
Shortly before the
Senate went on Holy Week recess, Sen. Nancy Binay filed the Resolution No. 567
to effect an an inquiry into this issue.
Binay insisted that
investigation should be conducted even if Department of the Interior and Local
Government (DILG) Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II already clarified that the
arrest warrant against Lee was valid and that the CIDG certification is an
‘honest mistake” according to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.
“While the arrest of
Delfin Lee after two years of evading the authorities was a welcome respite to
the victims of the P6.6 billion housing controversy, what is worrisome is that
the camp of the accused is now questioning the validity of the arrest,” she
explained.
The committee will also
question the PNP chief about the decision to suddenly remove Senior Supt.
Conrad Capa from the task force that is still on the process of case build up
against Lee, Ejercito said.
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