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Manila Assures No Whitewash on Mansion Probe
Philippine Interior Secretary Alfredo Lim assured the public Wednesday that there will be no whitewash of his probe on mansions allegedly owned by President Joseph Estrada.
Lim said in a statement that he has taken steps to prevent the whitewash, including designating the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) as the lead agency.
"My boss is the people, and no one else. My attitude is that anyone who runs afoul of the law must be ready to face the consequences of his act," he said.
Lim also said he hopes to finish the investigation before the end of this month.
President Estrada authorized Lim on Monday to investigate reports that he had secretly acquired 1 billion pesos (19.6 million US dollars) worth of land and houses, and said the properties would be forfeited in favor of the government if the charges were proven.
In the southern Cebu City on Tuesday, Lim said he was staking his name and reputation in the investigation. "I have never been involved in any anomaly in my 48 years of public service," he said.
Lim aid he has tasked the NBI as lead agency, and is coordinating with the Land Registration Authority to check the registration records of the houses.
"I am making sure that there is no whitewash or cover-up," he said.
Lim also appealed to the people not to prejudge him, and to give him their verdict only after the investigation is over.
"It is hard to work under a cloud of prejudgment. Let's wait for the investigation to finish, and we will make the results public immediately," he said.
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