http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=69669
US bugged Estrada, son JV, Lacson -- sources
First posted 02:23am (Mla time) Mar 17, 2006
By
Inquirer
THE United States, starting from an unprecedented
spying scandal in the White House allegedly
involving Filipino-American Leandro Aragoncillo,
had bugged former President Joseph Estrada and
his son, Mayor Joseph Victor (JV) Ejercito of San
Juan town in Metro Manila, official sources said.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity
because of the sensitive nature of the case, said
Sen. Panfilo Lacson had also been subjected to wiretapping.
The US Embassy sent a diplomatic note dated Feb.
1 to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
transmitting "legal Notices of Interception of
wire and/or electronic communications for Joseph Estrada and JV Ejercito."
"The embassy requests assistance from the [DFA]
in serving the notices on these individuals. The
embassy also requests confirmation that the
Department has been able to do this," the note said.
A copy of the note was given to the Inquirer by
one official source. The Inquirer was allowed to
read the legal notices dated Dec. 16, 2005. The
sources said the Department of Justice served the
notices to the parties three weeks ago.
The sources said that the notices were intended
to alert the recipients that they could be
implicated in the spying controversy and could be
brought to the United States to face charges
under an extradition treaty between Manila and Washington.
Aragoncillo, 46, an intelligence analyst of the
US Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Michael
Ray Aquino, 39, a former police senior
superintendent and Lacson aide, were arrested in
New Jersey and New York, respectively, last
September on espionage charges in connection with
the alleged passing of classified information to Filipino opposition leaders.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of imprisonment for 25 years.
In all, 150 documents, including 37 classified as
"secret," were allegedly transmitted to the
Filipino leaders from May to August 2005.
White House's 1st spy case
Last October, ABC News reported that Aragoncillo
had also pilfered documents from the office of
Vice President Dick Cheney in what it said was
the first case of spying in the White House. Some
of the documents were reported to be damaging to
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was described as weak and overbearing.
Estrada has admitted getting documents from
Aragoncillo, but stressed that these did not seem
to be sensitive information. Lacson, Senate
Minority Floor Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and
Rep. Roilo Golez of Parañaque City also
acknowledged receiving e-mails from either Aragoncillo or Aquino.
Asked if he got the legal notice, Estrada said,
"No, I have not received any. Maybe they brought
it to Polk [his house in San Juan] address, but
my lawyers should have brought it here if there's any."
Estrada is held in detention in his rest house in
Tanay town, outside Manila, while being tried for plunder and other crimes.
When asked if this would mean that he was going
to New Jersey, Estrada said, "Okay 'yon, ha?"
Ejercito said he had received a notice from
Interpol, through the National Bureau of
Investigation, informing him that he had been a
recipient of information from Aragoncillo.
"It's nothing," he said.
Lacson confirmed he received the notice in
December but shrugged it off as "a matter of statutory procedure."
He said the notice simply told him that his
e-mail account had been found in a laptop seized
from Aquino. He said he had thrown the paper away.
In the legal notices, the Estradas were told that
Judge Jose Linares of the US District Court of
New Jersey authorized on Aug. 22, 2005, "the
interception of wire and/or electronic
communications" over the telephone and/or e-mail
accounts of telephone number (856) 693-1614,
LARAGO..._at_hotmail.com and JUAN_MI..._at_yahoo.com.
Phone and e-mails tapped
The notices stated that the interception happened
between Aug. 22 and Sept. 12, 2005, "by on or
about which date all original recordings were sealed by order of this court."
"During the period of authorized interception,
wire and/or electronic communications to or from
your telephone and/or communications were intercepted," the notices stated.
The sources said Lacson also received a similar notice.
A diplomatic source, who asked not to be named
because he was not authorized to speak to the
media, said the legal notices were in line with
the requirements under US law to notify persons who had undergone surveillance.
Signal of prosecution?
When asked whether the notices could be taken as
a signal that its recipients faced prosecution,
the source said, "We don't know at this point. It
should be taken at its face value -- as notices."
One lawyer said, "It's like a warning to them to
take the matter seriously, that they cannot
ignore this and that anything can happen. It's
actually favorable since they will no longer be
taken by surprise by whatever legal action may follow."
The source said the "prudent thing" for the
Estradas to do was to consult with a US lawyer
practicing in this field and make inquiries of
the prosecutors if necessary. With a report from
Volt Contreras and Cyril L. Bonabente, Inquirer Research
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Received on Sat Mar 02 2024 - 00:57:22 CST