MANILA, Philippines?A textile executive accused of plunder asked the Supreme Court to examine the authenticity of her alleged signature appearing on the secretary?s certificate she purportedly issued to authorize certain people to apply for tax credit certificates in favor of Filstar Textile Industrial Corporation.
In a four-page motion with leave of court, Grace T. Chingkoe through her lawyer Roderick R. Rabino denied having issued the said certificate dated September 12, 1996 which has become the basis of the Office of the Ombudsman to charge her along with several other individuals, including government officers, for the crime of plunder for allegedly defrauding the government some P73.76 million, representing the value of 28 tax credit certificates (TCCs) granted to Filstar from 1995 to 1997 on alleged bogus supporting documents.
While the secretary?s certificate will account only to four TCCs amounting to P12,913,740, which is at least P37 million short of the P50 million requirement for filing a plunder case, she maintained that her alleged signature on the said certificate is a forgery.
Since the high court cannot try on facts, she said in the interest of justice, the high court must address the issue of forgery by allowing the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct an examination of the subject certificate as well as certain documents bearing her signature.
?For the foregoing reason and in view of the materiality of such determination, petitioner, consistent with substantial justice, respectfully begs leave from the Honorable Court and prays that her alleged signature appearing on the hereto attached September 12, 1996 secretary?s certificate to be examined by the NBI to determine its authenticity,? she appealed.
She earlier asked the high court to reverse its July 19 resolution that allowed the Sandiganbayan to implement its decision ordering her arrest due to her alleged involvement in the tax credit scam.
The Ombudsman, in its August 3, 2009 resolution, ordered the filing of a plunder case against her for allegedly defrauding the government of some P73.76 million representing the value of 28 TCCs granted to Filstar Textile Industrial Corp. from 1995 to 1997 on alleged bogus supporting documents.
She was implicated in the alleged anomalous transactions by the Ombudsman in her capacity as Filstar?s corporate secretary who was responsible for the issuance of the certificate attached to its TCC applications stating the name of the authorized officer to sign the pertinent contracts, documents, and agreements.
However, she stressed that she was just a nominee of her brother Felix T. Chingkoe in Filstar and has no participation in its affairs, much less in the fraudulent application for tax credits.
