SC dismisses fugitive Delfin Lee’s petition

Delfin Lee. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Supreme Court has denied the petition of fugitive real estate developer Delfin Lee questioning his indictment for syndicated estafa involving some P6.5 billion in allegedly anomalous loans that his company, Globe Asiatique, obtained from the government for a housing project in Pampanga province.

The court’s minute resolution, signed by division clerk of court Lucita Abjelina-Soriano and received by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday, upheld a Court of Appeals decision against Lee denying his request for the issuance of a temporary restraining order and/or writ of preliminary injunction.

The Supreme Court denied the petition “for failure to show any reversible error in the challenged decision as to warrant the exercise of the Court’s discretionary appellate jurisdiction”.

The justices also faulted Lee for failing to produce the required number of copies of his petition, which is a violation of the rules of civil procedure.

The dismissal of the petition removes an obstacle in the case filed by the government against Lee and his coaccused before the Pampanga regional trial court.

“Having run out of legal options or remedies, Mr. Lee should now face the music and come out of hiding. He should not further strain the government’s resources by his continued evasion of a duly issued warrant of arrest,” Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said in a statement.

The DOJ charged Lee, along with Dexter Lee, Christina Sagun, Cristina Salagan and lawyer Alex Alvarez with syndicated estafa, a nonbailable offense. A warrant for their arrest was issued on May 22, 2012 by Pampanga Judge Ma. Amifaith Fider-Reyes.

Lee has evaded arrest and remains a fugitive from justice. The government has offered a P2-million reward for information leading to Lee’s arrest.

Lee’s Globe Asiatique is accused of using “ghost borrowers” and fake documents to obtain more than P6.5 billion in loans from the Home Development Mutual Fund, or Pag-Ibig Fund, for its Xevera housing project in Mabalacat and Bacolor in Pampanga.