MANILA-Charlie Atong Ang, a close friend of deposed President Joseph Estrada, returned to Manila Nov. 10 after five years in the United States. He was immediately whisked to detention in a Quezon city jail pending his trial for plunder which was filed by the government against him and Estrada.
Ang was a former consultant of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and later a close aid of the deposed President.
Although he and Estrada are co-respondents in the plunder charges, a separate trial will be held for Ang since Estrada has already rested his case and is awaiting judgement.
While Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said Ang’s chances of becoming a state witness were nil, it was still possible to reopen Estrada’s case if his testimony during his trial can be corroborated.
Ang is accused of funneling P130 million
pesos in kickbacks from the tobacco excise tax and illegal gambling to Estrada.
Ang fled to the US in January 2001, the
same month Estrada was ousted by a popular revolt and arrested.
Ang himself was arrested at a Las Vegas
strip hotel in November 2001 on a Philippine government warrant charging him
with plunder, or theft of public funds.
After a year in US custody in a North Las
Vegas jail, Ang was freed on a $300,000-bail and placed under house arrest. He
was made to wear an electronic monitoring device as US marshals guarded his
home.
CHICAGO, Illinois (JGL) - Filipino
Chinese businessman Charlie T. “Atong” Ang was ordered today (Tuesday, Nov. 7)
to “surrender to the United States Marshal for the District of Nevada no later
than 9 a.m. Wednesday (Nov. 8), 2006.”
In a one-page “(o)rder to Self-Surrender
and order to exonerate bond” provided by Ms. Natalie Collins, public affairs
specialist of the US Attorney’s Office in Las Vegas, Nevada, to this reporter,
United States District Court Magistrate Judge Lawrence R. Leavitt also “ordered
that, following Charlie Atong Ang’s self-surrender, the United States Marshal
shall inform the Clerk of Court of his compliance with the order and, upon such
notification, the court hereby orders that the bond (property bond) in this
case shall be exonerated.” Ang, 46, is under house arrest with a monitoring
device tucked on his ankle.
If Mr. Ang complies with the twin orders,
he is going to be turned over to the operatives of the National Bureau of
Investigation agents. According to Ging Reyes, ABS-CBN North American
bureau chief, Reynaldo Esmeralda, deputy director for Regional Operation
Services, told her that the US Marshals will escort Mr. Ang from Las Vegas to
Los Angeles, California “since Los Angeles is the shortest route from the US to
the Philippines.”
Ang will be taking a direct flight from
Los Angeles to Manila, leaving Wednesday night and arriving in the Philippines
at 5:30 a.m. Friday. “To avoid the repeat of the assassination of Sen. Benigno Aquino, 50
agents of NBI will secure the Ninoy
Aquino International
Airport,” Esmeralda
added. Ang will be returned to the Philippines despite alleged threat on
his life.
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales was
quoted as saying that Ang was hesitant to return after he got threat of his
life from a certain “Zubia,” who threatened to kill him once he returns to the
country. Gonzalez said the US District Court, in a note verbale to the
Philippine government dated Oct. 6, has given Philippine authorities until Nov.
11 to take custody of Ang following the extradition order. Ang must be
transferred to the Philippine government’s custody, if not, he will be freed,
as it already waived its request to extradite him.
If Ang is returned to the Philippines, it
will end 18 days short of five years that took him to delay his extradition to
the Philippines. Ang was arrested on Nov. 26, 2001 on an extradition
warrant while gambling in Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The NBI will, in turn, hand Ang over to the Sandiganbayan, an
anti-corruption court, which has jurisdiction over him. Ang is facing plunder
charges before the Sandiganbayan Special Division. The Sandiganbayan will
also determine whether to detain him or grant him bail.
Ang, a buddy of detained President Joseph
Estrada, gained public notice when he was caught with Mr. Estrada gambling in a
Philippine casino while Mr. Estrada was a vice president.
Although, he was asked to distance
himself from Mr. Estrada as soon as Estrada became president, somehow Ang
managed to call attention to himself when his Power Management Consultancy,
Inc. was able to obtain a lucrative gambling license, which extended consultancy
services to manage Jai Alai and Bing-o 2 Ball, which was designed to supplant
the popular jueteng, a poor man’s numbers game.
Ang was later charged with plunder for
allegedly “conniving” with former President Estrada in converting 130-million
pesos (2.6-M US dollars) tax money for his personal use, and in receiving
proceeds from jueteng. (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)
