Ricaforte nabbed in US – TV report

Yolanda Ricaforte, the alleged personal jueteng accountant of former President Joseph Estrada, was arrested in America after six years in hiding, GMA’s 24 Oras reported Thursday. Citing information from an unidentified source, the early evening newscast said elements of the US Homeland Security nabbed Ricaforte, who has been included in the most wanted list of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2001. Ricaforte, a co-accused in the plunder case of Estrada, fled to the United States shortly after Estrada was ousted from power in January 2001. Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said they were able to get details on Ricaforte’s whereabouts based on the information given by Charlie "Atong" Ang, one of the accused in the plunder case. Ang has since entered into a plea bargain with government prosecutors. "The information about Ricaforte was brought to us by Atong Ang, and that was the lead that we followed. He told me before that he knows the whereabouts of this girl," Gonzalez said. But Ang’s counsel, lawyer Ruth Castelo, refused to give any statement on the reported arrest of Ricaforte. The prosecution panel claimed it was Ricaforte who received the jueteng payola for Estrada and deposited the money to different banks. She also reportedly maintained a ledger of the jueteng payola received by Estrada. During a hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee in 2000, Ricaforte admitted working for Luis "Chavit" Singson and has a ledger believed to be containing names of those in the jueteng payola list. At the time, Ricaforte denied knowing Estrada and being the deposed Philippine leader’s jueteng secretary. For his part, Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio said he has yet to receive information of Ricaforte’s arrest. Nonetheless, Villa-Ignacio said his panel would file an extradition request to facilitate Ricaforte’s return to the Philippines. - GMANews.TV