Ombudsman orders filing of charges against close Arroyo ally

Manila  -  The Philippines' Ombudsman ordered on Wednesday the filing of graft charges against a close ally of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo after a seven-year investigation.

Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez said an appeal by former justice secretary Hernando Perez to dismiss a 2-million-dollar extortion case against him was without merit.

"After a perspicacious review of the records, the undersigned found nothing that would indicate that there is reason to disturb the earlier findings of the special panel," she said in a 24-page order.

Aside from Perez, his wife Rosario, brother-in-law Ramon Arceo and business associate Ernest Escaler will also be charged with conspiring to hide the money, Gutierrez said.

Perez allegedly took advantage of his position as justice secretary to extort 2 million dollars from former Manila congressman Mark Jimenez in 2001.

In exchange for the money, Perez would no longer force Jimenez to testify against his friend, former president Joseph Estrada, who was facing corruption charges after being ousted in January 2001.

Hong Kong and Swiss authorities provided the Ombudsman details of the transfer of the money.

Gutierrez, a classmate of Arroyo's husband Jose Miguel, has been facing severe criticism for not acting on cases involving people close to the First Couple.

The Ombudsman has yet to decide on a graft case against a former agriculture undersecretary who allegedly siphoned off more than 700 million pesos of funds intended to buy fertilizer for farmers in 2004.

The Arroyo government has been rocked with corruption scandals, the latest of which was a 329-million-dollar broadband deal that was scrapped due to a kickbacks scandal. (dpa)

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