Speaking to reporters at the Department of Justice (DOJ), De Lima said the non-bailable case against Lee; Cristina Sagun, GA documentation chief; Christina Salagan, former GA documentation dept. head; Atty. Alex Alvarez, Pag-IBIG employee; and Lee's son, Dexter is very much alive.
De Lima cited a recent Supreme Court (SC) temporary restraining order (TRO) on a Court of Appeals (CA) ruling junking the case against Sagun which would have made the number of accused merely 4, or one person short of the minimum requirement of 5 for a syndicated estafa case to prosper.
"I reminded the NBI to proceed with the manhunt for Lee and his co-accused. Wala pa sa kanila nagsu-surface or voluntarily submit to the jurisdiction of the Pampanga RTC. The TRO is meant to enjoin the implementation of the CA decision; since restrained ang CA resolution, the case stays...
"Therefore, there is no legal impediment now on the part of the [Regional Trial Court] Pampanga to proceed with the case of syndicated estafa," De Lima said.
Lee is considered a fugitive from justice. Malacanan has announced a reward of P2 million for any information that may lead to his arrest.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
