Chavez hits back at gov't on Irene Araneta account

Former Solicitor General Francisco Chavez lashed out at the administration yesterday for blaming him for the reported transfer of the Marcos wealth from Switzerland to another country.

A STAR story on Tuesday quoted Chavez as saying that the $13.2-billion allegedly in the name of Irene Marcos-Araneta in the Union Bank of Switzerland has been broken up into different accounts and deposited in small banks in the British Virgin Islands.

On the same day, Presidential Spokesman Fernando Barican told reporters that Chavez's revelation has given the account holders a chance to transfer the money to another bank in a different country.

Chavez said that the administration, by saying that his revelation caused the transfer of the Marcos money, has admitted the authenticity of the documents he had shown to journalists.

"(I) merely reported the update on the Marcos accounts after the transfer had been effected," he said in statement yesterday. "The Estrada administration now says that (my) revelation to media has caused the transfer of the Marcos accounts."

He said the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG)'s failure to act has enabled the Marcoses to gradually transfer their money from Switzerland to the British Virgin Islands.

"Estrada and his advisers are obviously in a perpetual state of mental disarray," Chavez said. "It would augur well for public service for Barican to immediately leave his post before stupidity takes the most part of him. Better still, Estrada himself should resign. It will surely solve most of our nation's problems."

A document Chavez said he got from broadcast journalist Peter Mueller of Vox TV Germany showed that the firm Sandy Anstalt opened an account with UBS Lugano as early as Dec. 12, 1979.

Sandy Anstalt was closed after liquidation on April 30 last year, with its liquidator identified as a certain Englebert Shreiber of Shreiber and Zindeld, Kirschstrasse 399490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

By May 2, 1999, all Sandy Anstalt accounts at UBS Laguno were closed except account No. 885931.01 N.

He said that 115,000 Swiss francs had been transferred to Araneta's account No. 3241978 on Dec. 12, 1998 from account No.4462100 in Verwaltungs-und Privatbank in Luxembourg, S.A. in the name of ATU General Trust.

The British Virgin Islands-based company was incorporated on Sept. 11, 1995.

Barican said the PCGG will investigate the documents Chavez had shown to reporters.

PCGG Commissioner Jorge Sarmiento said the agency would look into reports about the money's transfer, adding that it would be helpful in tracking down the Marcos accounts.

Chavez said two cash transfers from UBS in Laguno were made in the name of Irene Maria Victoria Araneta on July 15, 1998, with the amount of 300,000 Swiss francs, and on Feb. 21, 1999 in the amount of 441,000 Swiss francs.

The payee was ATU General Trust account No. 4326 at Bank Sal. Oppenhaim and Cie, Luxembourg S.A. Alloe Scheffar, Luxembourg, he added.

"The movement of this money from the UBS to the four small banks in British Virgin Islands, Liechtenstein indicates that the $13.3 billion Irene Araneta account is no longer in Switzerland. This also emphasizes the lies that UBS is feeding us," Chavez said.

He said he will present the new documentary evidence to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

"The materials were sent to me in New Zealand by Peter Mueller of Vox TV Germany, who continued his research on the Marcos accounts after his testimony at the Senate on Aug. 19, 1999." --