The 46-year-old Filipino-Chinese businessman originally asked for a ten-day extension of his surrender date in his “Emergency Motion to Continue Surrender Date.” But Judge Leavitt gave Mr. Ang an extra seven days to prepare his extradition in exchange for his cooperation with the court’s conditions of his house arrest.  In his “Extradition Certification and Order of Commitment” last Sept. 11, Leavitt ordered Ang to surrender to the US Marshal “not later than Sept. 13, 2006, at 12 p.m.” But on the same day, Ang’s lawyer filed an “emergency motion to continue surrender date” for ten days from Sept. 13, saying that he would be “filing for a habeas relief from the Extradition Certificate and Order of Commitment entered by this Court on Sept. 11, 2006.” During the oral argument last Friday, Sept. 15, Reynaldo Esmeralda, Special Task Force chief of the National Bureau of Investigation, asked the court to set a status hearing of the case on Oct. 2, 2006, so the task force can finalize details of the handover.  William J. Genego, Ang’s counsel, also told the court that the defense team will not contest the extradition order anymore, adding that a petition for habeas corpus will no longer be filed.  Because “Ang is willing to return voluntarily to the Philippines, even if (Mr. Genego) will ask for more continuance, the US government will not object,” according to government lawyer, Assistant US Attorney J.  Gregory Damm.

Ang has been charged with plunder for allegedly “conniving” with former President Joseph Estrada in converting 130-million pesos (2.6-M US dollars) for tax money for his personal use, and in receiving proceeds from illegal gambling schemes.  Ang was arrested on Nov. 26, 2001 on an extradition warrant while gambling in Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas , Nevada .

By Joseph G. Lariosa