SB junks with finality plea on reopening of raps vs. Lucio Tan (Philippine News Agency)

Sandiganbayan denied with finality the plea filed by Mariano Tanenglian against businessman Lucio Tan in connection with the re-opening of the case against him seeking to prove that his assets are owned by the Marcoses.

In a five-page resolution penned by Associate Justice Roland Jurado, the Sandiganbayan 5th Division denied the motion for reconsideration filed by Tanenglian due to lack of merit.

Sandiganbayan also dismissed the plea of Tan’s brother to order the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) to grant him immunity from suit if ever he testifies against his brother.

The anti-graft court earlier ruled that it was “without jurisdiction to direct the PCGG to act on, much less accept, the offer of defendant Tanenglian to be a witness”. Since Mariano Tanenglian was also a defendant in the case, it was “absurd” of him, instead of the government, to ask for a reopening of the trial, the Sandiganbayan said.

The Sandiganbayan recently opined that ex-PCGG lawyer Catalino Generillo is not a real party of interest and has no legal personality anymore to represent the case after he was sacked by the government to act as lawyer for the case.

The Marcoses claimed that they owned 60 percent of the corporations of Tan. However, the Philippine government and the Marcoses cannot produce the originals of the documents supposedly proving that Tan acted as a dummy for the late strongman.

The said corporations of Tan which were allegedly claimed by the Marcoses are Fortune Tobacco Corp.: Asia Brewery, Inc.; Allied Banking Corp.; Foremost Farms; Himmel Industries, Inc.; Grandspan Development Corp.: Silangan Holdings, Inc.; Dominium Realty and Construction Corp. and Shareholdings, Inc.

Source:
Philippine News Agency
Posted April 29, 2010 at http://balita.ph/2010/04/29/sb-junks-with-finality-plea-on-reopening-of-raps-vs-lucio-tan/