Vice president Jejomar Binay. CDN FILE PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA
MANILA, Philippines—If there’s anything that would put detained real estate magnate Delfin Lee in jail for good, it would be of his own doing.
Vice President Jejomar Binay had this response to remarks that Lee made in a recent Inquirer interview, where the housing developer accused the official of bias in pursuing the alleged multibillion-peso realty scam involving the businessman’s firm, Globe Asiatique (GA).
“If we base it on the evidence, I think after due process, he will definitely be found guilty,” Binay said in a statement.
Lee had said in a recent Inquirer interview that he would “surely rot in jail” if Binay were to be elected President in 2016. The Vice President has many times made clear his intent to seek the land’s highest post in the next general elections.
The businessman, detained since March on charges of syndicated estafa for duping GA clients, spoke of Binay’s apparent “beef” with him, saying the official was after him as soon as he became chair of the House and Urban Development Coordinating Council.
Binay, the country’s housing czar, is also chair of the Home Development Mutual Fund’s (Pag-Ibig Fund) board of trustees.
“Too bad for Mr. Lee, I understand what I’m doing. I repeat: We studied this case carefully. Those who are not involved will not be prosecuted,” Binay said.
Binay has been actively pushing for the arrest and prosecution of Lee over the alleged use of fake names and the double sale of housing units to defraud Pag-Ibig Fund of nearly P7 billion in loans between 2008 and 2011.
He ordered the filing of syndicated estafa charges against Lee and other GA officials after investigation gathered enough evidence to indict the businessman’s group.