RP opposition senator links Arroyo to alleged corruption

RP opposition senator links Arroyo to alleged corruption

Associated Press, Manila

An opposition senator on Monday claimed links between President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her husband's alleged corruption, saying one check that ended up in his reputed bank accounts came from an office under her control.

Senator Panfilo Lacson said a dozen bank accounts under the name Jose Pidal - which Lacson claims Mr. Arroyo used to stash funds - and his alleged cronies contained 260 million pesos (US$4.72 million) as of July 30. He said that included a check for 1.35 million pesos (US$24,545) from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes, a charity office directly under President Arroyo.

Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the matter would be cleared up if proper Senate summons are received. The charity office's head said Lacson may have been fed wrong information.

Arroyo's brother-in-law on Monday claimed ownership of at least two accounts under the name Jose Pidal. Lacson later revealed more Jose Pidal accounts and dismissed the ownership claims by Ignacio Arroyo, a businessman and younger brother of Arroyo's husband Mike.

Lacson said Ignacio Arroyo was a fall guy who filed annual income taxes of 8,500 to 11,205 pesos (US$203 to US$154) from 1996-99, when he claimed to have opened the Jose Pidal accounts containing millions of pesos.

In a Senate speech, Lacson pointed to an earlier speech he made in 2001 accusing the president's husband of abusing his relationship with her to milk revenue-generating government agencies for personal gain.

"My speech could touch only the tip of the racket of corruption," Lacson said. "He was never stopped."

Ignacio Arroyo told a news conference that he opened accounts under the assumed name - one in 1997 and another a year later - "mainly for security reasons and for legitimate purposes." At the time, he said, it was common practice for businessmen, wary of being kidnapped for ransom, to use aliases for bank accounts.

One account was closed in October 2000, the other in August 2001, a month before an antimoney laundering law took effect that prohibits the use of accounts under fictitious names or no name at all, Ignacio Arroyo added.

Ignacio Arroyo called Lacson's claim that the accounts still contained money as of July 31 a "total falsehood" and challenged Lacson to bring charges against him "instead of wasting valuable taxpayers' money and the valuable time of the Senate."

Lacson, a former national police chief for ousted President Joseph Estrada, is considered a likely candidate for president in next May's election. He has been accused of involvement in drug trafficking and allowing the summary execution of a group of suspected bank robbers.

Lacson alleged two weeks ago that the president's husband had amassed huge sums through corruption and money laundering and asked the Senate to investigate.

Mrs. Arroyo, who has made fighting corruption a top priority, has claimed Lacson's allegations are an effort to erode her credibility. Her husband, an attorney, has called the accusations lies.