Court asked to cancel bail, jail ex-bank manager

The lawyers of Solidbank have asked Regional Trial Court judge Geraldine Faith Econg to cancel the bail bond granted to its former branch manager Antonio Soontit and to imprison him after he was found guilty of 45 estafa cases.

The court sentenced Soontit to 1,228 years imprisonment, for pocketing P10.8-million from a client through forgery from 1993 to 1995.

The court had granted a bail bond to each of the estafa cases. The bank's lawyers however asked the court to cancel the bail bonds and order law enforcement authorities to arrest Soontit and put him in jail.

"Since Soontit has already been convicted by the court of offenses punishable by reclusion perpetua (20 years) the evidence of guilt against him is without a doubt strong and clearly non-bailable," lawyers Eduardo Rosello and Giovanni Tianero said.

But Soontit's lawyers said they would move for a reconsideration of the decision and ask the court not to touch the issue of bail granted to their client.

Judge Econg told both parties that she has already scheduled on Monday the hearing of the private prosecutors' motion.

Aside from the millenary term of sentence, the court also ordered Soontit, formerly the manager of Solidbank-Taboan branch, to reimburse the bank of P12.8 million, representing the actual amount he pocketed plus litigation expenses. - Rene U. Borromeo