No multi-million $ Ping accounts: FBI

ISAFP chief Corpus' bombshell a dud The Federal Bureau of Investigation has not found even a shadow of the $211.388 million stashed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson in Hong Kong and the United States as alleged by Col. Victor Corpus, chief of the AFP Intelligence Service.

Sources said this was the gist of an FBI report transmitted to the National Bureau of Investigation yesterday which NBI Director Reynaldo Wycoco said was up to Justice Secretary Hernando Perez to make public.

Wycoco described the report as "book-bound type of evidence containing facsimile of bank transactions and copies of checks," hinting it would be incriminating to Lacson.

But the sources said the FBI report lists only two closed accounts in the name of Lacson, both in the Citibank branch in Van Nuys, California, which contained "insignificant sums."

The same sources said the FBI report lists an account linked to Alice Lacson, the senator's wife, but the account was in the name of a failed business venture between Alice and her associates.

The sources said the account contained at most $120,000 at any one time.

Lacson said he has never denied the two California accounts. He said the accounts were opened in 1995 and closed in 1997.

Lacson reiterated his 10-month-old promise to Corpus, Wycoco and Perez, who both had vouched for the credibility of Corpus, that he would issue a special power of attorney so they could withdraw the purported hundreds of millions in dollar deposits if they could find them.

Corpus' original allegation was that Lacson maintains at least $800 million in foreign deposits for himself and deposed President Joseph Estrada.

Corpus claimed the US Customs Service had validated Lacson's deposits during meetings with a joint PNP-AFP team he dispatched around this time last year to the United States.

The team's trip was approved by President Arroyo and funded through a P5 million grant from her Social Fund.

Wycoco revealed his receipt of the FBI report during the launching of a DOJ website.

Perez, who was also at the launching, expressed surprised at Wycoco's revelation.

"We have yet to receive any communications. Undersecretary (Manuel Teehankee) has not reported to me on the receipt of the information nor have I received anything," he said.

"As soon as we receive it, we will make an announcement. We will also furnish the Senate a copy of the report," Perez said.

Perez earlier designated Teehankee to receive the copy of the FBI report on behalf of the DOJ, secured through a formal request for assistance from the US justice department.

The request was made by DOJ sometime in April or May last year.

Perez and Wycoco had repeatedly said the FBI's search for Lacson's purported deposits had been stalled by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the investigation into which demanded the assignment of practically the whole FBI force.

Teehankee said he already has a copy of the FBI report but has yet to brief Perez.

Corpus had alleged Lacson maintains eight personal accounts with deposits totaling $211.388 million in six Citibank branches in Hong Kong, California and New York, and two accounts at the Bank of America branches in California and New York.

He alleged Lacson and Estrada maintain six joint accounts Citibank in Hong Kong amounting to $118.833 million; Estrada, a separate account at Citibank in Hong Kong ($336.421 million); Lacson and Alice, a joint account in Citibank in New York ($21.500 million); Alice, separate accounts in the Citibank branches in Las Vegas and Wells Fargo in Washington, with deposits totaling $40.357 million.

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