Ecleo asks court to stop taking his assets

CULT leader and Dinagat Island Rep. Ruben Ecleo has contested the Sandiganbayan order to seize his assets to meet the P2.857-million damages that he and his co-accused were directed to pay following their conviction for graft.

Ecleo filed a motion for reconsideration and clarification last week on the Sandiganbayan First Division’s issuance of a writ of execution against his properties and that of his two co-accused. He asked that the anti-graft court stop the taking of his properties.

Ecleo was earlier ordered to pay damages to the state after he was convicted of involvement in overpayments for the construction of a public market and municipal building in San Jose town in Surigao del Norte.

At the time of the transactions, he was the San Jose mayor. The court has also ordered the lawmaker’s arrest. He has since made himself scarce.

Convicted along with Ecleo were municipal officer Anadelia Navarra and contractor Ricardo Santillano.

In his motion filed through his lawyers, Ecleo said the court should take back its issuance of the April 12 writ of execution order because he was still appealing his graft conviction before the Supreme Court.

“What if the Supreme Court reversed this court’s judgment of conviction? Would it not be the essence—the quintessence—of judicial courtesy and judicial prudence if this court deferred executing its decision convicting the accused until the pending challenge on said decision is resolved?” he said.

He also said he wanted clarification on the basis of the directive ordering him and his co-accused to pay damages to the government. According to him, the evidence does not support the finding that there was overpayment, or overpricing in the transactions.

He even included in his motion photographs of the public market and municipal hall. According to him, a “fair and unbiased appreciation” of the buildings would convince an impartial mind that there was no overpricing or overpayment.