FORMER justice secretary Hernando Perez, through his lawyer, asked the Sandiganbayan on Tuesday to defer the trial of his graft cases so as not to preempt the Supreme Court (SC) from deciding on his petition to stop the Ombudsman from further prosecuting the cases.

“It is respectfully submitted that the deferment of the instant proceedings is warranted as the adjudication of the issues raised [in the case] will materially affect the outcome of this case,” Perez’s motion said.

Perez’s wife, Rosario, who is one of the coaccused, also signed the motion.

On Friday the Perezes filed asked the SC to stop the Ombudsman from further proceeding with the prosecution of the graft and extortion cases filed against them.

Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez charged Perez with two counts of graft, robbery and falsification of public documents.

Gutierrez also charged Perez’s wife, Rosario; brother in law, Ramon Arceo; and business partner Ernest Escaler with graft and robbery.

The three were accused as Perez’s accomplices in the alleged extortion of $2 million from former Manila congressman Mark Jimenez in exchange for not forcing him to testify against former President Joseph Estrada.

The cases were raffled off to the First, Second, Third and Fourth divisions of the Sandiganbayan.

Assistant Special Prosecutor Elvira Chua alleged that Perez took advantage of his position and conspired with the three others to extort money from Jimenez.

Chua said Jimenez, under threat, wired $1,999,965 to Escaler’s account in Coutts Bank on February 23, 2001. The money was later allegedly transferred to the private account of Arceo and the Perezes at EFP Private Bank AG in Switzerland.

Of the amount, $1.7 million was allegedly transferred to the Perezes’ Swiss account.

Fitch hints: No upgrade for now for RP

FITCH Ratings dropped broad hints on Tuesday of keeping the country’s credit stature at the BB level with a stable outlook, its lead analyst in the region having cited continued revenue issues that make the likelihood of an upgrade unlikely for the time being.

A SENIOR legislator warned on Tuesday that if Congress gives in to the weak proposal on the country’s archipelagic baseline, the country will see an oil-drilling concession under the Chinese government.

THE vice governor of Nueva Ecija on Tuesday filed criminal and administrative charges against Gov. Aurelio Umali, his wife and three others before the Ombudsman.

Zamboanga City—American and Filipino soldiers in Mindanao, where al-Qaeda-affiliated bandits are active, staged a different war, this time not against lawless elements, but to preserve aquatic resources as they marked the Earth Day 2008 celebration.

FORMER justice secretary Hernando Perez, through his lawyer, asked the Sandiganbayan on Tuesday to defer the trial of his graft cases so as not to preempt the Supreme Court (SC) from deciding on his petition to stop the Ombudsman from further prosecuting the cases.

THE Land Transportation Office (LTO) is set to launch two major locally developed technological innovations to crack down on motor-vehicle smuggling and carjacking, as well as strengthen environmental protection.