Detained property developer Lee pushes SC oral arguments

Real estate developer Delfin Lee. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Detained real estate developer Delfin Lee insisted before the Supreme Court that an oral argument should be conducted on issues covered by pending petitions and motions involving his dispute with the Home Mutual Development Fund (Pag-Ibig Fund).

“In the interest of justice and fairness, we believe we deserve the chance to be heard, and more important, the public deserves to know the truth about Pag-IBIG’s trumped up accusations against me, my family and our company,” Lee said in a statement Thursday.

He said the oral argument was the only chance that the public would be enlightened about the controversy especially after the Senate indefinitely postponed its hearings on the Pag-IBIG controversy.

Early this month, the high court dismissed Lee’s request for an oral argument for lack of merit.

In his motion for reconsideration, Lee said, “We seek the court’s indulgence to deliberate on what we believe to be compelling as well as clearly meritorious arguments that debunk all of Pag-IBIG’s misleading allegations against us.”

He is asking the high court to rule in his favor on the following issues:

* That the final Summary Judgment rendered by the Regional Trial Court-Branch 58 of Makati City in a civil case finding Pag-IBIG Fund liable to Globe Asiatique for breach of contracts – is final and executory, and in this line with the fact that there was no P6.6 billion damage to Pag-IBIG that can be attributed to GA. The ruling was affirmed by the Court of Appeals.

* That a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) cannot suspend his constitutional right to liberty since the warrant of arrest issued by a Pampanga trial court was already recalled, lifted, and quashed by the Court of Appeals after finding that there is no probable cause against him for the crime of syndicated estafa.

* And Lee said he and his co-accused should not have been arraigned by the Pampanga Regional Trial Court since the Court of Appeals has voided and quashed the Information for syndicated estafa for lack of probable cause.

“Allowing us to orally argue these points and giving us the chance to be publicly heard, will let the public learn the truth, and put an end to Pag-IBIG’s effort to misinform and mislead them,” Lee said.

 
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