Retired military comptroller Jacinto Ligot seeks for the dismissal of a forfeiture case filed against him and his family before the Sandiganbayan, arguing they are facing a similar case earlier filed against them
DISMISS IT. Retired
military comptroller Jacinto Ligot wants a forfeiture case against him and his
family dismissed. File photo from Newsbreak
Retired military comptroller Jacinto Ligot asked the Sandiganbayan to dismiss the forfeiture case filed against him and his family by the Office of the Ombudsman, arguing they are facing a similar case earlier filed against them.
The forfeiture
case, filed in June 2013, seeks the return of P55.6 million of alleged
ill-acquired wealth by the Ligots.
But in a
memorandum submitted to the court on Monday, April 21, Ligot said the case
should be dismissed because it split the cause of action, after it had already
filed a forfeiture case in 2005.
The 2005 case was
filed against Ligot, his wife, children, sister, and brother-in-law, while the
2013 case names the same defendants – only replacing Ligot's sister with a
cousin of Ligot's wife, Gilda Y. Alfonso-Velasquez.
The earlier case,
seeking for the return of P135.3 million, is still pending in the court's
Fourth Division.
Ligot and his
family said the grave error should allow for the dismissal of the latter case.
Additionally, the
memorandum said the second case violates the rule against forum shopping,
explaining that a similar case covering the same bank accounts has already been
filed by the Anti-Money Laundering Council at a municipal trial court.
In the latest
case, the government is seeking the confiscation of the proceeds of 7
investment accounts with the Armed Forces and Police Savings and Loan
Association Inc. (AFPSLAI).
These accounts
are in the names of Ligot, his wife, and children, with a combined value of
P1.2 million.
Also eyed by government
prosecutors for confiscation are bank deposits with Equitable PCI Bank (BDO),
Bank of the Philippine Islands, Land Bank of the Philippines, United Overseas
Bank-Philippines
Based on figures
obtained by investigators, the CFSI account is under the name of Velasquez and
holds the sum of P52.525 million, although the Ombudsman claims it is owned by
Ligot's immediate family.
Ligot, his wife
and children are accused of
amassing P700-million in ill-gotten wealth from the coffers of the
military. Ligot retired as comptroller of the Armed Forces in 2004, but the
year before he left the military service, he declared a net worth of only
P3,248,003.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/56109-ligot-dismiss-forfeiture-case
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