Sen. Bong Revilla INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA
MANILA, Philippines — At least 43 bank accounts, 28 real properties, and 15 vehicles were ordered temporarily frozen by the Sandiganbayan as part of detained Senator Ramon Revilla Jr.’s alleged loot in the pork barrel scam.
This after the antigraft court granted the prosecution’s writ for preliminary attachment or garnishment, which seeks to secure Revilla’s assets over suspicion that these were obtained using ill-gotten wealth from the scam.
The order has an effect of a freeze order, albeit temporary, until the court issues its final decision on Revilla’s case. This is meant to ensure that government can recover the alleged loot if the court rules that it is part of state coffers.
The prosecutor wanted to secure the properties to ensure that Revilla does not dispose of these pending the court’s ruling on the plunder case against him.
The garnished properties could be in the form of cash, real properties, shares of stocks, and other financial instruments.
According to the preliminary list of Revilla’s monies and properties for garnishment, to be secured are Revilla’s 28 bank accounts placed under his name as Ramon Revilla Jr. or his real name Jose Marie Mortel Bautista (This includes his joint accounts with his wife).
Meanwhile, also ordered temporarily frozen are 12 bank accounts placed under Revilla’s wife Lani Mercado or under her real name Jesusa Victoria Bautista.
Some nine of the banks listed were joint accounts of Revilla and his wife.
One bank ordered frozen belongs to Lani Mercado’s company Nature Concepts Development Realty Corp., which according to an Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) report was used as a dummy corporation to launder millions of Revilla’s alleged kickbacks.
Meanwhile, the following vehicles were also ordered placed under garnishment: Toyota Innova Wagon, Mitsubishi Montero, Toyota HiAce Grandia, Nissan Frontier Navarra, Toyota Innova Wagon, Toyota Corolla, Mitsubishi Adventure GLX, Cadillac Escalade, Toyota Jeep, Mitsubishi L300, Fuso Jitney, BMW 730 Li, Hyundai Starex Van, Lexus LX570 Wagon, and Isuzu NHR.
Meanwhile, 20 real properties in Cavite, four in Tagaytay, two in Ayala Alabang, and one each in Tanay, Rizal and Muntinlupa were also among the garnished assets.
The following shares of stocks were also ordered temporary frozen – Revilla’s P880,000 worth of shares in RRJ Films and RRJ Trading and Trucking Corp, and Lani Mercado’s P255,000 worth of shares in RRJ Films, RRJ Trading and Trucking, and Nature Concepts Development Realty.
The shares in the following businesses as declared in Revilla’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities Networth were also ordered garnished – Manila Southwoods, Royal Tagaytay and Country Club, Fairways and Blue Water, Subic Yacht Club, Palms Country Club, Sports Club–Riviera Golf and Sports, Nature Concepts, Villa Jose Jacinta Inc., Jomarog Inc., Alabang Country Club Inc., San Miguel Corp., GMA7 Network and Villa Jose Jacinta Inc.
Meanwhile, Revilla’s credit cards and his closed bank accounts were delisted from the writ.
Revilla is detained in the Philippine National Police Custodial Center as he faces plunder for his alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam, the purported scheme of using public funds to ghost projects for kickbacks. Also detained in connection with the scam are alleged mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles and senators Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile.
RELATED STORY
Sandigan orders temporary freezing of Revilla’s alleged pork scam loot