Jaime Dichaves uncovered

One of the significant issues that cropped up in the national scene but  did not take   the limelight from the ongoing impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona is the conclusion of the preliminary investigation conducted by the Ombudsman’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) on the plunder case involving businessman Jaime Dichaves.

To the public, the Joseph Estrada plunder case is considered closed after he was ousted from power, jailed for more than six years, tried for and convicted of the heinous crime, subjected to world ridicule and humiliation, and later pardoned by then president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

However, many loose ends in  the plunder case are hanging. For example, how much of the plundered wealth has been forfeited in favor of the government? Together with the alleged role of businessman Jaime Dichaves, we need to tackle these  issues to signify their importance. Unless we bring the cases to their proper resolution, one can never say “case closed” with conviction.

According to the OSP, “The evidence showed that Dichaves had conspired with former president Joseph Estrada to amass ill-gotten profits from the sale of Belle Corp. shares to the government.”  Along with the completion of the preliminary investigation, the OSP is seeking the arrest of Dichaves, emphasizing that the possibility of the businessman’s flight was “more probable” now that he was charged with a non-bailable offense.

At the height of the plunder trial against the former president, the name Jaime Dichaves was mentioned alongside other Erap cronies like Charlie “Atong” Ang, William Gatchalian, Lucio Co and Dante Tan. Dichaves had been tagged as the owner of the Jose Velarde account in Equitable Bank, then containing more than P189 million in commissions earned by Estrada in the sale of Belle shares to the Government Service Insurance System and Social Security System.

Dichaves is said to have opened the bank account to convey the commissions to Jose Velarde. The businessman could have taken the rap from there, except that the vice president of Equitable Bank Clarissa Ocampo took the witness stand during the impeachment trial and testified that she was just a few meters away when he saw Estrada sign “Jose Velarde” in the bank documents. Her testimony was seen as the most damning evidence, the virtual smoking gun that tied Erap to the illegal wealth.

Jaime Dichaves slipped out of the country and cooled his heels off in China after Estrada was impeached. He returned here in November 2011 and things seemed to be working as he planned. The businessman scored a minor victory when the Sandiganbayan granted his motion to quash an earlier warrant of arrest paving the way for his right to a preliminary investigation. That finalized, it will be up to the Sandiganbayan to study the case report, whether to indict him for the crime of plunder, or a lesser crime, which his lawyers are striving at.

Unlike Atong Ang, Jaime Dichaves has struck an enigmatic persona because he was inconspicuous at the time when his influence was at its peak.  But in Jan. 12, 2001 Asiaweek carried an interesting feature of the Estrada impeachment trial and Jaime Dichaves was uncovered, so to speak.

“Crony No. 1,” written by Kristina Luz provided important pieces to the puzzle that is Jaime Dichaves:

“Who is Jaime Dichaves, and, if Clarissa Ocampo’s testimony is to be believed, why was he willing to lend his name to a presidential bank account?

“Of all the many businessmen said to be Estrada’s cronies, little-known Dichaves, 44, may be the closest to the president. An ethnic-Chinese Filipino, Dichaves started out in Manila’s Chinatown trading construction materials and car parts. His relationship with Estrada began in 1992 when he backed him to be elected a senator. Later, Dichaves became the point man for contributions by the Chinese community to Estrada’s successful 1998 presidential campaign. Dichaves, says ethnic-Chinese congressman Harry Angping, ‘was one of the first to believe in Estrada’s ability to become president.’

“That faith has apparently been well-rewarded.  Today, Dichaves’ main gig is controlling the country’s telecommunications frequencies.  Officials of the Department of Transportation and Telecommunications say that Dichaves was given the right to buy the frequencies cheap and is now peddling them to telecoms companies at sums well above what he paid. Says a former department commissioner:  ‘Shortly after the president’s inauguration, Dichaves came into my office and said he was Estrada’s representative and that all awarding of licenses and frequencies had to be cleared with him.’ Adds former undersecretary for telecommnications Josefina Lichauco: ‘He controls the department.’”