MANILA, Philippines -- Former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn "Jocjoc" Bolante cannot use a Court of Appeals order freezing his bank accounts to seek asylum in the United States, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said Friday.

Gonzalez explained that money laundering is a criminal offense and that the government is only performing its duty to hunt down suspected money launderers.

"The ruling of the Court of Appeals cannot be used as evidence that he [Bolante] is being politically persecuted. The action of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) is not political per se as money laundering is a worldwide offense," Gonzalez said.

The appeals court ordered the freezing of 70 bank accounts and policies in banks and insurance firms after the AMLC submitted proof these accounts have something to do with the P728-million fertilizer scam.

Bolante has been tagged the main architect in the alleged diversion of the fertilizer funds to the campaign coffers of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the 2004 presidential elections.

He left the country after he was summoned to appear before a Senate inquiry, prompting the chamber of order his arrest. Subsequently, the US embassy in Manila cancelled Bolante’s US visa, leading to his arrest in that country.

Earlier this year, his bid for asylum was turned down by a US immigration court which said the order for his arrest did not constitute persecution.