Court orders ex-envoy’s trial to proceed

A Makati City court has ordered the trial of the country’s former ambassador to Spain on falsification of public documents charges to proceed.

Makati Metropolitan Trial Court (MTC) Branch 63 Judge Roberto Buenaventura said former ambassador Juan Jose Rocha’s trial starts on Feb. 25.

Buenaventura issued a warrant for Rocha’s arrest last month after dismissing his omnibus motion for reconsideration of the finding of probable cause to indict him on the charges, which stemmed from his move to sell his late brother’s car.

Rocha, the half-brother of the late former Philippine honorary consul to Chile Arturo Rocha, posted P12,000 bail for his temporary liberty last Dec. 4.

Buenaventura had dismissed Rocha’s motion, noting that the “court finds no cogent reason to reverse its order dated Sept. 6, finding the existence of probable cause against the accused for the crime of falsification of public document as charged.”

The charge sheet against Rocha alleges that on Oct. 28, 2004, he executed a deed of absolute sale of a Jaguar sports car owned by his late half-brother.

In the deed of sale, Rocha claimed that he was authorized to sell the motor vehicle as evidenced by a general power of attorney.

However, the court said Rocha knew that his half-brother had long been dead at the time of the sale and that he has a legal obligation to disclose the owner’s death, which extinguishes a contract of agency.

The complainant, Ma. Luisa Rocha, the car owner’s widow, claimed she was defrauded by the sale of the sports car, which she said was a piece of conjugal property. – Michael Punongbayan