Olongapo SubicBay BatangGapo Newscenter

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Taiwanese investors files graft, criminal charges against SBMA officials

The Taiwanese operators of the Subic Bay Golf Course and Country Club have filed graft and criminal charges against Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) officials for their alleged "illegal takeover" of the golf course.

Charged before the Office of the Ombudsdman were SBMA chair Feliciano Salonga, SBMA administrator Armando Arreza and 60 others for their role in what the Taiwanese operators said as an illegal and Gestapo-like takeover of the golf course in June 8, 2007 despite an existing court injunction order.

Jack Hu, vice president of Universal International Group Development Corporation (UIGDC), the company operating the golf and country club, said the charges include robbery, theft, grave threats and grave coercion among others and violation of the anti graft law.

Also named as complainants were Hu's mother and sister, Susan Ho and Angela Hu.

The issue began when SBMA officials suddenly passed a resolution in the morning of June 8 terminating the 50 year lease contract of UIGDC because of their alleged failure to settle its P16 million rental arrears and enforced the said resolution that same day.

This was done despite a court status quo order dated December 27, 2006 and a writ of preliminary injunction dated May 4, 2007.

Hu narrated that SBMA officials, headed by Arreza and accompanied by 50 fully-armed men from the SBMA law enforcement division, stormed the golf course, raided the golf club and other buildings and drove out all the 300 employees.

"We stood our grounds and contended that there was a court order but we were forcibly shoved out of the premises without even being allowed to take out our personal belongings," Hu lamented.

He said that Arreza and company appropriated everything inside the buildings and leased premises including the personal cars and vehicles of the complainants.

"They took everything, illegally operated the club and appropriated the company's income since then," Hu said.

He said the same officials likewise totally ignored another writ of preliminary injunction dated June 12, 2007 in favor of UIGDC.

"We are now at a lost on who to turn to as SBMA and its officials had ignored and defied orders from the court," Hu said as he noted that other investors are now getting jittery about SBMA's blatant disregard of the law.

"We invested here because of our belief that we will be treated fairly by your democratic laws," he said.

"We hope that the SBMA officials involved will be removed and punished so as not to tarnish your image in investment circles," Hu said. (PNA)

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