OMB still going after Andal assets

The forfeiture case on the unexplained assets of the late Andal Ampatuan Sr. continues, Ombudsman Conchita CarpioMorales said yesterday, even as she expressed hope that it will be resolved before the year ends.

The anti-graft court chief said even though Ampatuan is already dead, the government will remain steadfast in running after his questionable assets.

“Even though Ampatuan is already dead, the case goes on. It is under preliminary investigation,” Carpio-Morales told the House Committee on Appropriations deliberating on the Ombudsman’s proposed 1.775 billion budget for 2016 after Bayan Muna partylist Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate inquired about the status of the forfeiture case.

“We hope we get results anytime before year ends,” she said.

The government filed the forfeiture case before the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 22 to run after the unexplained wealth of Ampatuan. The filing of forfeiture case stemmed from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) probe on the alleged more than P180 million of Ampatuan’s unexplained assets.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima earlier said the recovered assets could be used to pay the damages for the families of the victims of the Maguindanao massacre. The RTC’s issuance of the Asset Preservation Orders (APO) is needed to recover Ampatuan’s assets.

Ampatuan Sr. allegedly masterminded the 2009 Maguindanao massacre that claimed the lives of 58 civilians, including 32 journalists died on July 17 at the National Kidney and Translate Institute on Quezon City due to liver cancer.