Mike joins demolition party against Ping Asks lawyer to lie to court on Kuratong

First Gentleman Mike Arroyo has joined the campaign to destroy Sen. Panfilo Lacson in at least one case, the Kuratong Baleleng multiple murder.

Arroyo sought the help of a private prosecutor in the case in a brief cellular phone conversation arranged Thursday night at the Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City, by Chief Supt. Rey Berroya, PNP director of Region III based in Camp Olivas, Pampanga.

The private prosecutor who did not want to be identified, "because this can cost me my life, " said he was invited to the meeting by Berroya but he was not told what they would discuss.

A witness to the meeting said he saw Berroya, Chief Supt. (ret.) Diktador Alqueza, Mary "Rosebud" Ong, Director General (ret.) Roberto Lastimoso and lawyer Arno Sanidad.

The source said Berroya asked the private prosecutor if he would talk to somebody he did not identify. In seconds, the private prosecutor found himself talking to Arroyo. One of those present in the meeting said the prosecutor told him that Arroyo wanted him to help in the Kuratong Baleleng case.

The prosecutor replied that, if asked by the court, he would testify that proper notices were served to the parties before the case was temporarily dismissed.

It turned out, however, that this was not what Arroyo and the police officers in the meeting wanted. They asked the private prosecutor to deny that he received the notices, a precondition for temporary dismissal.

If the prosecutor would deny receipt of the notices, the Department of Justice would have established that there was a failure on the part of the court to comply with requirements for temporary dismissal. Therefore, the case against Lacson may be reopened as demanded by Justice Secretary Hernando Perez.

A warrant for Lacson's arrest without bail could be issued although the neophyte senator is only an accessory to the alleged multiple murder of the members of the Kuratong Baleleng bank robbery gang

The supporters of Lacson claimed that President Arroyo considers him as a formidable opponent in the 2004 election.

But the prosecutor said he could not lie because the records in the sala of Quezon City RTC Judge Theresa dela Torre Yadao show that all the requirements were complied with before the case was temporarily dismissed.

"How can I deny that I did not receive notice when I prepared the affidavit of desistance that was used as a basis to dismiss the case temporarily?" the private prosecutor told a friend.

Yadao inherited the case from Judge Wenceslao Agnir who is now with the Court of Appeals.

The Supreme Court, in a ruling two weeks ago, remanded the petition of Perez to reopen the case to Yadao's sala, saying the trial court is in the best position to make the factual determination on whether requirements for temporary dismissal had been met.

The prosecutor recalled that the meeting was largely dominated by Rosebud who said she did not know the prosecutor. Then she proceeded to recite a litany of the alleged sins of Lacson.

Incidentally, sources said President Arroyo Friday morning summoned Perez and Rosebud to Malacaņang presumably to get a briefing on what happened during the meeting the night before.

Meanwhile, Lacson reiterated his plea to make public the full report of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation allegedly incriminating him on multi-million-dollar deposits in some banks in the United States.

"That's the only way I can defend myself," Lacson said.

Lacson said the proposed reopening of the Kuratong Baleleng case and alleged involvement in drug trafficking that resulted in money laundering were plain harassment.

Even bankers say that it would be extremely foolish for Lacson to deposit the money - if he indeed had it - in US banks.

"Stolen or ill-gotten money all ends up in the vaults of the banks of Switzerland where no government can touch them," a banker said.

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