Court says no to Delfin Lee’s appearance in Senate hearing

Real estate developer Delfin Lee. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Philippines — A judge here has stopped detained real estate developer Delfin Lee from attending a Senate hearing on Thursday (May 15) on an alleged scam where his company purportedly defrauded the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund) of almost P7 billion in housing loans in Pampanga.

Edwin Mangaliman, warden of the Pampanga provincial jail here, confirmed this when asked if he had been advised to bring Lee, president of the Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corp. (GARHC), to the Senate.

“I have [no schedule to bring him to the Senate]. The court denied the invitation of Senator JV Ejercito for Lee to attend the hearing,” Mangaliman said.

He said this was in compliance with an order of Regional Trial Court Judge Ma. Amifaith Fider-Reyes, who is hearing the syndicated estafa case filed by the Pag-IBIG Fund two years ago.

Mangaliman said he was not authorized to give a copy of the judge’s order. The Philippine Daily Inquirer could not get a copy because reporters were banned from going to the third floor of the Jomafer Building here where Reyes held court in Branch 42.

Police said two bomb threats had been received by tenants after authorities presented Lee to the court on March 10 or four days after his arrest ended his hiding for almost two years. Media interviews of Lee in jail had been prohibited as well.

A source in the court said Reyes, in turning down Ejercito’s request, said she wanted Lee to avoid sub judice or making comments on the case’s merits. The source did not want to be named for not having been authorized to give information on the case.

Leaving the pre-trial on Friday last week, Lee told reporters, “Watch out for me in the Senate hearing on Thursday, if I will be invited to it.”

His lawyer, Willie Rivera, said he was saddened by Reyes’ decision prohibiting his client from attending the Senate hearing that would discuss the contract between GARHC and Pag-Ibig Fund.

“This shows that a court is more powerful than the Senate,” Rivera said.

In the pre-trial that proceeded on Friday despite Lee’s objections due to pending cases in the Supreme Court, public prosecutors submitted documents to Reyes for marking. The judge canceled mediation proceedings.

Lee’s lawyers are scheduled to submit documents on July 2.

Aside from six syndicated estafa cases filed by people claiming to be victims of double sale or those used by GARHC to fraudulently get Pag-IBIG Fund housing loans, a similar case had been filed recently by buyers of condominium units at GA Tower 2, a project of GARHC in Mandaluyong City.

The new case included Lee’s daughter, Divine, who, the complainants said, was chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors of GA Tower 2.

Lee’s four co-accused, including his son, Dexter, GARHC vice president, have yet to be arrested.

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