Officers claim part of Ligot property

Former military comptroller Jacinto Ligot. Inquirer file photo

Landowners, who include military personnel, are disputing the government’s claim to property in Tanay, Rizal, allegedly owned by former military comptroller Jacinto Ligot.

Shelley and Felipe Perez have told the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division that they and other individuals own portions of the Tanay property that is covered by the government’s forfeiture case against Ligot.

The former military officer is facing forfeiture of his assets for allegedly amassing ill-gotten wealth while in the military service.

The Perezes have asked the antigraft court to allow them to intervene in the forfeiture case, and to exclude their properties and those of other landowners from the case.

Based on the list attached to the Perezes’ pleading to the court, the other lot owners include retired military officials George Rabusa and Victor Ibrado, and active military officers such as Army official Ramil Bitong.

Rabusa blew the whistle on other financial irregularities in the military.

One of the properties covered by the forfeiture case is a 7-hectare lot in Masalat, Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal.

According to the Perezes, who reside in Cebu, they own a portion of the property, specifically 500 square meters each. They said other portions of the lot were owned by other individuals, some of whom they were also representing.

According to them, Ligot had acted as the buyer of the Tanay property only because the original owner did not want to deal with several buyers.

Those who actually bought the property were personnel from the Second Infantry Division, they said.

These buyers had asked Ligot to represent them as buyer on record, and the transfer of the title was processed in Ligot’s name, they added. Ligot then executed separate individual deeds of sale in favor of the individual lot buyers, they further said.