FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines— Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-Ibig Fund) members want nothing less but the “ultimate conviction” of real-estate magnate Delfin Lee and the return of the P6.6 billion defrauded from them.
“We want the ultimate conviction of Delfin Lee and the return of the 6.6 billion pesos defrauded from our members,” Atty. Sandy Coronel, Pag-Ibig Legal Counsel told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview Friday.
Coronel said the arrest of Lee and the arraignment set on March 10 would be the first step to achieve justice.
“We are happy because finally the trial for the syndicated estafa case against Delfin Lee will now start. We are now closer to justice,” she said.
She mentioned that aside from the syndicated estafa, Lee is also facing other complaints filed by individual borrowers who were also defrauded.
“Pag-ibig is the complainant in this particular case (syndicated estafa), however, he still has yet to face other complaints filed by individual borrowers,” she said.
She said Lee is facing syndicated estafa–which is a nonbailable crime– in connection with the use of fictitious members of Pag-Ibig Fund or Home Development Mutual Fund to defraud the agency of of more than P6 billion in housing loans.
According to her, Lee should be detained in a regular jail.
“The normal procedure is for the police to detain him to the nearest city or provincial jail. In this case, he sould be detained at the Pampanga provincial jail,” she said.
Lee is now under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation regional office in Pampanga upon the order of the Regional Trial Court Branch 42 of San Fernando.
“We respect the decision of the judge,” she said, adding that proximity from the Pampanga RTC could have been considered by the deciding judge.
“We have a strong case. We have witnesses and documents to prove the guilt of Delfin Lee,” she said.
She encouraged other defrauded Pag-Ibig members to get involved in the case so they could collate their testimonies.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) meanwhile said, a manhunt operation is ongoing for the arrest of the four others involved in Lee’s housing scam.
RELATED STORIES
WHAT WENT BEFORE: Globe Asiatique-Pag Ibig Fund controversy
Pag-Ibig picks up cudgels for Asiatique victims