MANILA, Philippines - Former Camarines Sur Governor Luis Raymond Villafuerte preempted his arrest by posting bail on Thursday.
Prior to the bail, Sandiganbayan 5th Division issued a warrant of arrest February 7 against Villafuerte in connection with his alleged violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Principal complainant, former Board Member Carlo Batalla, thanks the Sandiganbayan for acting favorably on his complaint and prominent lawyers Raymond P. Fortun and Frumencio E. Pulgar for giving their services pro bono.
The arresting officer was supposed to take Villafuerte into custody that afternoon, but the former provincial chief already posted a bail bond of P90,000 that morning.
Batalla is asking for invesigation of Sandiganbayan employees who might have acted as Villafuerte's advance informants. Their group, according to Batalla, learned of the arrest order on Villafuerte only few days later after it was issued.
Villafuerte is accused of skipping public bidding in allowing a P20 million transaction for petroleum products from Fuel Express Zone firm.
A preliminary conference for the case has been scheduled this month.
Villafuerte's son, Miguel, is currently the governor of the province.
Batalla is confident that Villafuerte and his co-accused businessman Jeffrey Lo, proprietor of Naga Fuel Express Zone, will still be incarcerated because the conviction rate in the Sandiganbayan is practically 100 percent.
Batalla, who has taken upon himself the mission of ridding the provincial government of Camarines Sur of graft and corruption, anticipates that a separate plunder case he also filed against LRay Villafuerte and several co-accused shall also be acted on favorably by the Sandiganbayan. (From Philstar.com)