PINASISINUNGALINGAN PO NG DESISYON NG KORTE SUPREMA ANG CLAIM NG SINUMAN NA NAGSASABING ANG MGA ACCOUNTS DAW NI FERDINAND MARCOS ALIAS “WILLIAM SAUNDERS” AT NI IMELDA MARCOS BILANG “JANE RYAN”, AY ITINATAG NOONG 1954, BAGO PA NAGING PANGULO SI FERDINAND
By Maria Lourdes Sereno
Noong May 1, 1954, ay bagong kasal lang si Ferdinand at Imelda. At wala sa mga kwento ng kahit sino sa dalawa na pumunta sila sa Switzerland kung saan doon lang sila makakapagbukas ng secret bank accounts in the names of William Saunders at Jane Ryan. At that time, 37 years old na kongresista pa lang si Ferdinand, walang law office, at walang senyales na may nakakalulang yaman.
At lalo naman pong hindi mag-a-agree ang Korte Suprema na year 1954 pa binuksan ang accounts na iyan. According to the Supreme Court, binuksan ang accounts na ito noong 1968, 3 years na pong nanunungkulang Pangulo si Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Sabi po ng Korte Suprema, sa unanimous desisyon nito noong 2003 na isinulat ni dating Chief Justice Renato Corona, binuksan ni Ferdinand at Imelda Marcos ang kanilang William Saunders at Jane Ryan accounts noong 1968. Ito po ang exact words ng Korte:
“22. The following presentation very clearly and overwhelmingly show in detail how both respondents clandestinely stashed away the country’s wealth to Switzerland and hid the same under layers upon layers of foundations and other corporate entities to prevent its detection. Through their dummies/nominees, fronts or agents who formed those foundations or corporate entities, they opened and maintained numerous bank accounts. But due to the difficulty if not the impossibility of detecting and documenting all those secret accounts as well as the enormity of the deposits therein hidden, the following presentation is confined to five identified accounts groups, with balances amounting to about $356-M with a reservation for the filing of a supplemental or separate forfeiture complaint should the need arise.
…
“I. XANDY-WINTROP: CHARIS-SCOLARI- VALAMO-SPINUS-AVERTINA FOUNDATION ACCOUNTS
31. This is the most intricate and complicated account group. As the Flow Chart hereof shows, two (2) groups under the foundation organized by Marcos dummies/nominees for FM’s benefit, eventually joined together and became one (1) account group under the AVERTINA FOUNDATION for the benefit of both FM and Imelda. This is the biggest group from where the $50-M investment fund of the Marcoses was drawn when they bought the Central Bank’s dollar-denominated treasury notes with high-yielding interests.
”32. March 20, 1968, after his second year in the presidency, Marcos opened bank accounts with SKA using an alias or pseudonym WILLIAM SAUNDERS, apparently to hide his true identity. The next day, March 21, 1968, his First Lady, Mrs. Imelda Marcos also opened her own bank accounts with the same bank using an American-sounding alias, JANE RYAN. Found among the voluminous documents in Malacañang shortly after they fled to Hawaii in haste that fateful night of February 25, 1986, were accomplished forms for “Declaration/Specimen Signatures” submitted by the Marcos couple. Under the caption “signature(s)” Ferdinand and Imelda signed their real names as well as their respective aliases underneath. These accounts were actively operated and maintained by the Marcoses for about two (2) years until their closure sometime in February, 1970 and the balances transferred to XANDY FOUNDATION.”
Hindi po kailanman idineklara nila Ferdinand at Imelda ang laman ng account na ito. Ayon sa batas, Republic Act No. 10368, ang yaman ng isang government official na hindi kayang ipaliwanag sa kaniyang sweldo at lehitimong ari-arian, ay considered na ill-gotten wealth o unlawfully acquired. Bakit po? Sapagkat napakadaling yumaman ang isang government sa pang-aabuso ng kanyang kapangyarihan. Kaya’t sa Korte Suprema, hindi po totoo na may yaman na sila sa mga Swiss accounts bago pa mag-pangulo si Ferdinand.
Idiniin pa ng Korte na ang lehitimong yaman nila ay USD 304,372.43 lamang. So, ano po ang basehan nitong dalawang taliwas na kwento samantalang malinaw ang factual finding ng Korte Suprema kung kailan nabuksan ang William Saunders at Jane Ryan bank accounts sa Switzerland.
Ito po ang link sa kaso ng Korte Suprema:
https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/theboo…/showdocs/1/48708
