Palace: No compromise deal over Marcos ill-gotten wealth

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BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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MANILA – Malacañang denied that the government has reached a compromise agreement with the Marcoses over the latter’s ill-gotten wealth.

“There is no truth to the allegation,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said on Tuesday.

President Rodrigo Duterte, in August last year, said the Marcos family offered to return to the government some of their ill-gotten wealth, including a “few gold bars.”

Atty. Oliver Lozano, a supporter of the Marcos family, proposed to the government in June 2017 that the Marcoses give the former a cut of their wealth in exchange for dropping all cases against the late strongman’s family.

Photos of documents, including the proposed agreement and a related draft House bill, have recently circulated on social media.

Lozano “may have written to Malacañang proposing the creation of a legal team that would study a compromise agreement with the Marcos family,” Roque said.

“The proposal, however, has not been acted and agreed upon by the Palace,” he added.

Lozano, in a separate interview, confirmed that the proposed compromise agreement would grant the Marcoses immunity from suits in exchange for returning their supposed ill-gotten wealth.

The documents that circulated on social media included Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo’s reply to Lozano in July 2017.

Panelo confirmed receiving a copy of the proposal.

“The document was sent to the office by Atty. Oliver Lozano,” Panelo said in a statement. “Our office as a matter of courtesy and policy acknowledges receipt of any letter coming from any citizen. No action has been taken on Atty. Lozano’s proposal.”

As of the House bill, Roque said it is the House of Representatives that decides on such.

“As to the supposed House bill granting immunity on the Marcoses and allowing compromise on their sequestered assets, the Executive, as we all know, recognizes the separation of powers and independence of Congress,” said Roque.

The Presidential Commission on Good Government has recovered P170.45 billion in ill-gotten wealth from the Marcoses and his cronies from 1986 to 2015.

Former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. denied knowledge of the supposed compromise agreement. He also clarified that Lozano does not represent the late dictator’s family.

“The Marcos family has no knowledge or information on that apparent exchange and service of document between Atty. Lozano and the office of Sec. Sal Panelo,” Marcos Jr. said in a statement.

“As a point of information, Atty. Oliver Lozano does not represent any member of the Marcos family or the estate of the late president Ferdinand Marcos,” Marcos Jr. added. (With CNN Philippines and ABS-CBN News/PN)
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