Gervacio twits PCGG on Marcos cases

Acting Ombudsman Margarito Gervacio blamed the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) yesterday for the government’s unsuccessful efforts to pin down the Marcoses in various graft cases and recover their alleged ill-gotten wealth.

In a press conference, Gervacio said the Office of the Ombudsman has been having a hard time prosecuting the various criminal cases against the Marcoses in the Sandiganbayan due to the PCGG’s "usual failure" to provide them the necessary documents.

Gervacio was reacting to earlier claims by PCGG Commissioner Ruben Carranza that Swiss authorities "unfroze" many accounts of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos and his cronies because the Office of the Ombudsman had dismissed the cases against them.

Carranza, for instance, cited what he claimed was the recent withdrawal by former energy minister Geronimo Velasco, his nephew Alfredo de Borja and secretary Carmencita Clavecilla of $17 million from three frozen accounts in various banks in Switzerland without Philippine authorities knowing about it.

Velasco’s bank account reportedly contained $15,519,972; De Borja’s, $921,532; and Clavecilla’s, $555,544.

According to reports, the withdrawals were made after Zurich District Attorney Diether Jann lifted the freeze order last March when the prescription period lapsed.

Carranza said Jann lifted the freeze order after Velasco, De Borja and Clavecilla made an appeal and presented papers showing that former Ombudsman Aniano Desierto had dismissed the criminal cases against them.

Gervacio said Carranza has the penchant to blame other people and use them as scapegoat for the PCGG’s mistakes.

"You know what is the meaning of carranza in Visayan, it is a wild dance that has no meaning. The PCGG is blaming (other) people for their own failure. They are blaming the Ombudsman for the dismissal of (cases) in the Sandiganbayan," he said.