BSP eyes more estafa cases vs. Legacy’s de los Angeles

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is building up more estafa cases against businessman Celso de los Angeles, the principal suspect in the Legacy insurance and pension scam, the central bank’s legal counsel said Tuesday. BSP Assistant Governor and Legal Counsel Juan de Zuniga said the central bank is planning to file more cases against de los Reyes following the businessman’s arrest on Tuesday, aside from the original five syndicated charges earlier filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ). De Zuniga likewise welcomed the arrest of de los Angeles, saying it is “a positive development" to the cases filed against the businessman. “This is a very encouraging and positive development because it shows the eagerness of the BSP in pursuing these cases and confirms that the judicial system is capable of dispensing justice to the complaints of the BSP," he said in a press conference. De los Angeles was arrested on Tuesday and was brought to Camp Karingal in Quezon City due to estafa charges filed against him in Leyte. The businessman was nabbed in a condominium unit near the St. Luke’s Medical Center, where he was undergoing treatment for his throat cancer. Despite de los Angeles’ health condition, the BSP said it will oppose any move to put the businessman on hospital arrest, saying it may give him preferential treatment. “If he is entitled to a hospital confinement, why is he in a condominium receiving visitors?" De Zuniga said. He added that the banker should instead be brought to Ormoc City in Leyte, where he is set to be arraigned. The BSP filed the cases last year in connection with the P487 million of solicited funds received from depositors of First Interstate Bank (Rural Bank of Kananga, Leyte), which was under the Legacy Group, that De los Angeles and his co-accused allegedly “willfully, unlawfully and fraudulently misappropriated." De los Angeles has repeatedly denied these accusations against him. -- AC/OMG, GMANews.TV