CA allows freeze order on bank accounts of terror suspect to expire

MANILA, Philippines - The Court of Appeals (CA) has allowed the freeze order on all bank accounts of a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) who was charged with terrorism to expire.

In a resolution penned by Mariflor Punzalan Castillo, the CA’s former First Division allowed the six-month freeze order issued against the bank accounts and all related web accounts of accused Eduard Guerra, alias Abraham Yap Alonto, to expire.

His co-accused in the case are his wife Jocelyn and Joseph Allan Jungoy Chan, as well as the firms Al Nissah General Merchant, Beauty Rich Trading, Sharif Interior and EJ & P Builders.

Guerra, who was arrested in September 2010 for terrorism, is a senior member of the MILF’s central committee.

He was arrested while trying to enter the Davao International Airport heading to Geneva, Switzerland to attend the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting.

Aside from Guerra, 62 others were reportedly charged at a regional trial court (RTC) in Sarangani on June 28, 2010 due to their alleged participation in several attacks on government detachments in the province.

“Considering that six months have already elapsed since the expiration of the original 20-day period on Jan. 9, 2012, the extended freeze order should be deemed to have automatically expired on July 9, 2012,” said the CA.

Concurring with the ruling were Associate Justices Andres Reyes Jr. and Franchito Diamante.

The 20-day freeze order was issued on Dec. 20, 2011 following a petition filed by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and it was extended for six months when it elapsed.

The AMLC, in their petition, alleged that these bank accounts are supposedly used to financially support the MILF.

Ordered frozen were the bank accounts belonging to the respondents in Maybank, Metrobank, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., Banco de Oro, Bank of the Philippine Islands and Land Bank of the Philippines.

Guerra was accused of participating in an attack on Maasim, Sarangani on Aug. 16, 2008 after the Supreme Court nullified the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD) between the MILF and the Arroyo administration.

He, however, denied involvement in the attack and said that the MILF denounced the raid.

The MILF also asked the government to release Guerra, who is said to be suffering from hypertension, arthritis, diabetes and heart problems.