Paule brought to Pasay jail; daughter cries foul

(Updated 10:02 p.m.) MANILA, Philippines - Jaime Paule, the alleged Malacañang liaison in the P728-million fertilizer fund scam, was brought to the Pasay City Jail Thursday night amid jail officials' insistence that he will not get a special treatment. Radio dzBB reported that after several hours of discussion between the Senate arresting team, Paule's legal counsel Ferdinand Topacio, and jail officials, it was agreed upon that Paule would stay in a room away from the other inmates. The report said jail officials had assured that Paule would not be given special treatment while inside the facility. Paule arrived at the Pasay City Jail after being discharged from St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City. His admission was briefly delayed as the Senate sergeant-at-arms team that brought him there had no commitment order. The Senate blue ribbon committee under Sen. Richard Gordon ordered the arrest of Paule for allegedly giving false testimonies in the last two hearings on the fertilizer fund scam. Paule was brought to St. Luke's Tuesday - the same day the Senate ordered his arrest after citing him in contempt - after reportedly complaining of chest pains. Foul Meanwhile, Paule's daughter Iris, who was with him when he was brought to the Pasay City Jail, protested what she called an "unfair" treatment on his father. "Para sa amin napaka-unfair naman. Wala silang dahilan dalhin dito si daddy [It's so unfair, they had no reason to bring daddy here]," an emotional Iris told dzBB radio in an interview. Iris said her father was not convicted of a crime and had nothing to do with the scam were funds for the government's fertilizer project were allegedly diverted to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's campaign kitty in the 2004 elections. She also said that they were initially made to understand that her father would be brought to the Senate for a medical check-up. "Bakit nila ginagawa ito sa daddy ko? Di ko alam kung ano gusto nila i-prove sending my father to jail [Why are they doing this to my father? I don't know what they are trying to prove in sending him to jail]," Iris said. She also scored Leonicia Llarena, an alleged financier in the project, for dragging her father's name in the scam. “Sinabi nila bagman ang daddy ko [They said my father is a bagman], but they do not know the truth. Llarena, sana nakakatulog ka [Llarena, I hope you can sleep],” Iris said. Llarena, during the Senate hearings, said that Paule had sought "financial assistance" from her regarding the fertilizer project. Habeas corpus Earlier in the day, Paule’s camp asked the Supreme Court to declare his arrest and continued detention by the Senate illegal. In a 37-page petition, Topacio said the Senate arrest order was issued without due process since his client was not informed of the basis for such order. “Petitioner was, thus, never informed of the nature of accusation against him, particularly, the specific false or evasive testimonies. Hence, petitioner while having filed comments on the motion to cite him in contempt could only argue in general terms. This is tantamount to a deprivation of opportunity to defend himself as there was in fact no specific charge,” the petitioner said. - with Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV