Officials doubt new Marcos wealth

Officials doubt new Marcos wealth

MANILA (AP): Philippine officials expressed doubt on Thursday over claims by a former chief prosecutor of new evidence of billions of dollars in secret Swiss bank accounts allegedly belonging to the family of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Swiss bank officials and investigators denied the existence of such accounts.

On Wednesday former solicitor general Francisco Chavez claimed he had evidence an account in the Union Bank of Switzerland in the name of I. Araneta contained US$13.4 billion and belonged to Marcos' youngest daughter, Irene Marcos-Araneta.

He said he also had proof Marcos' widow, Imelda, had a separate Swiss bank account containing 800,000 ounces of gold.

He accused Swiss authorities, Swiss banks and the Philippine government's Swiss lawyer of covering up the existence of the alleged accounts.