It’s time to put to rest talk about Delfin Lee’s arrest, according to President Benigno Aquino III, noting that what is important is that authorities have put the wanted real estate magnate behind bars. VIDEO BY INQUIRER.net’s RYAN LEAGOGO
MANILA, Philippines – If someone influential blocked Delfin Lee’s arrest, he wouldn’t be behind bars, President Benigno Aquino III said Wednesday.
The President insisted that rumors surrounding the property developer’s arrest were unfounded and should stop now that he has been captured.
“Nasaan ba si Mr. Lee ngayon? Arestado. O sino ang nanghaharang? ‘Di ba kung mataas, nangharang, impluwensyado, hindi nahuli. O nahuli ho, nakakulong, ‘di ho ba?” Aquino said at the sidelines of The Pinoy Music Summit in Manila.
President Benigno Aquino III. RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net
(Where is Mr. Lee? Arrested. Who blocked the arrest? If a high, influential person blocked the arrest, he wouldn’t have been arrested. Well he was arrested, in jail, wasn’t he?)
“Ano pa ba ang kailangan nating pruweba (What else do we need as proof)?” he added, in response to questions on what had happened between Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso Umali and Philippine National Police Chief Alan Purisima.
It was Vice President Jejomar Binay who claimed that influential people attempted to block Lee’s arrest two weeks ago. He declined to give out names, but Malacañang later mentioned Umali, saying he already explained what happened to the President.
Umali, who is a close ally of the President and treasurer of the Liberal Party, said he was just asking Purisima about the basis of Lee’s warrant of arrest, in behalf of the businessman’s lawyer, who was the governor’s friend and provincemate. He denied that he shouted at Purisima and that he tried to stop the arrest.
Lee is being accused of syndicated estafa for allegedly defrauding the Pag-ibig Fund of P7-billion in housing loans through fake documents and applicants.
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