CASE VS CELSO, LEGACY DIRECTORS STRONG -- ROXAS

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today asserted there is strong evidence and legal basis to file charges of syndicated estafa against Legacy owner Celso de los Angeles and other company officers and directors for duping hundreds of thousands of pre-need planholders through their illegal financial transactions.

"Malinaw na malinaw na niloko ni Celso at ng mga alipores niya ang mga kawawang planholders ng Legacy (It is very evident that Celso and his cohorts swindled Legacy planholders)," Roxas said.

"Walang kinikilingan ang batas, nasa poder man o mayaman. Kailangang pantay-pantay ang lahat. (The law does not favor those in power or the rich, it should apply equally to all)," he added.

Roxas, along with six planholders of the Legacy group of pre-need companies, filed a case of syndicated estafa against De los Angeles and 19 other board members and directors of the dissolved Legacy Consolidated Plans Inc. (LCPI) for syndicated estafa before the Makati Prosecutors' Office, but the case was forwarded to the DoJ special panel investigating all complaints against De Los Angeles and Legacy on the basis of DoJ Order No. 182.

Syndicated estafa is defined under the Revised Penal Code as the deliberate misuse of funds generated from the public as committed by five or more people.

The Visayan senator insisted there is probable cause against the Legacy owner and his officers and laid down the following arguments:

• The crime was committed by five or more people;

• There was clear intent to defraud the planholders as evident by the Ponzi scheme-like operations of Legacy;

• There was deceit/misrepresentation because respondents did not intend to pay planholders of the promised highly unusual and irregular returns; and

• There was misappropriation as proven by testimonies made before the Senate trade and commerce committee investigation that Legacy monies were diverted to De los Angeles' personal benefits.

"Kawawang-kawawa dito sina Nanay Beth, Nanay Au at Nanay Cora. Nawalang parang bula ang mga pinag-ipunan nila para sa isang magandang kinabukasan sa para sa kanilang pamilya (I pity Nanay Beth, Nanay Au and Nanay Cora. Their monies vanished in thin air, money they saved hoping for a better future for their families)," Roxas said.

"Nananawagan ako sa DoJ na kasuhan sa lalong madaling panahon si Celso at ang mga kakuntsaba niya nang sa gayon ay makakuha naman ng hustisya ang mga biktima ng Legacy (I am appealing to the DoJ to hasten the investigation of these cases and to file cases against Celso and his cohorts as soon as possible so justice could be served on their victims)," he added.