Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has yet to assume power, but already his incoming presidency is facing possible diplomatic and trade turbulence, thanks to his appointee at the Philippine Ports Authority.
A group of Airbus and Taiwanese officials are wanted by the police on the strength of a non-bailable qualified theft case filed by a company controlled by incoming PPA General Manager, shipping magnate Christopher Pastrana.
It all began in 2016 when a Pastrana company signed a lease-purchase with Airbus, through Taiwanese financing company Chailease Group, to acquire a brand-new H-130 helicopter for $3.7 million.
To make a long story short, the Pastrana company, having missed several payments, civilly sued Airbus and the Taiwanese lessor after the two initiated foreclosure.
But unknown to Pastrana, the Taiwanese group, since it was still the registered owner, had obtained the blessings of the Philippine Civil Aeronautics Board to have the helicopter shipped to Taiwan, which it did after having filed posthaste the required documentation.
That's when the proverbial shit hit the fan.
Feeling outfoxed, Pastrana struck back hard, criminally charging Airbus and the Taiwanese partners with a "non-bailable" qualified theft case.
Despite the existence of a prejudicial question (the civil case filed by the Pastrana company), Pasay City Assistant Prosecutors Rina Alcantara and Marcos de la Cruz Jr. obtained approval to proceed with the prosecution.
Pasay City Regional Trial Court Judge Alberto Cansino then issued the warrants of arrest against the Taiwanese officials of Chailease, namely Alexander Tang, Richard Liao, Molly Tseng, Cathy Chuang, Hunto Chang, Cheng Fong Long, and Jack Pang, as well as against Airbus officials Lionel De Maupeou and Juha Pekka-Hoikka.
According to his LinkedIn account, De Maupeou has relocated to Sao Paulo, Brazil as head of Airbus Helicopter sales because of the standing arrest warrant.
In the meantime, the Taiwanese group, marvelling at the state of the local judicial system, have vowed never to do business with the Philippines ever again.
With the Pasay judge denying the motion to suspend the criminal hearings until after the prejudicial question shall have been resolved, the trial promises to embarrass the incoming BBM administration, with tales of alleged money-laundering being wired to a local money-changer, a la Bangladesh Bank scam.
Airbus, incidentally, is being represented by ACCRALaw, and Money-Go-Round will not be surprised if this messy case gets brought up during the confirmation and budgetary hearings of the unusual suspects.
Even power magnate and luxury sports car dealer Robert Coyiuto Jr. has been unwittingly looped into the scandal, as his Prudential Guarantee happens to be the innocent insurer of the disputed helicopter.
(Note: If you want to read the pro-Pastrana accounts, they are available on Google as early as December 2021.)
0 Comments