-Caveat Lector- Marcos Says $13.4B May Be Hers By DAVID THURBER .c The Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) - A secret Swiss bank account said to contain $13.4 billion may belong to the late Philippine strongman Ferdinand Marcos, his wife said Monday. ``I wouldn't be surprised,'' former first lady Imelda Marcos said. ``I know we used to have money.'' A Philippine Senate committee is currently conducting hearings into claims by a former chief government prosecutor, Frank Chavez, that the Union Bank of Switzerland is holding $13.4 billion in an account in the name of Marcos' youngest daughter. Each government since Marcos was ousted in a popular revolt in 1986 has accused him of illegally amassing billions of dollars during his 20 years in power. Nowhere near that amount has been found, with the largest chunk being $590 million in Swiss bank accounts identified earlier. That money has been transferred to an escrow account in the Philippines until legal cases against the Marcoses are resolved. Mrs. Marcos said she expects a final settlement of an agreement to provide some of that money to nearly 10,000 Filipinos who won a class lawsuit in a U.S. court for compensation for human rights violations during Marcos' administration. ``This will be very soon, in the next few days,'' she said. The plaintiffs were awarded $2 billion by a Hawaiian court, but subsequent negotiations ended with court approval of a $150 million settlement. Last month, however, a Philippine anti-graft court refused to transfer the money to Hawaii for disbursal, saying there was no evidence the Marcoses did not have funds to satisfy the original $2 billion award. Mrs. Marcos told reporters Monday that it ``could be possible'' that the $13.4 billion belongs to her family, but she was uncertain because many financial records were taken from them when they fled the Philippines for Hawaii in 1986. Last week, a German journalist, Peter Muller of Stern TV, told the Senate committee that he uncovered an account in UBS that Chavez says belongs to Marcos' youngest daughter, Irene Marcos-Araneta. Chavez claimed UBS has been keeping the account secret despite orders by Swiss authorities in 1986 for all Swiss banks to disclose any Marcos accounts they are holding. The Swiss order was part of efforts to help the Philippines recover Marcos' alleged ill-gotten wealth. UBS spokeswoman Gertrud Erismann-Peyer called Chavez's claims ``absurd.'' Zurich District Attorney Dieter Jann said that while Swiss authorities have located the account, it has no connection to the Marcos family. He said investigations have found no such large sums in the bank, and that it would be impossible for such an amount to remain undiscovered. Chavez has filed a complaint in Switzerland accusing Jann and others of suppressing evidence. Mrs. Marcos insists her husband amassed his fortune through shrewd gold dealing, not from government coffers. Last December, she told a Philippine newspaper that Marcos held as much as $25.3 billion in equity in more than 100 top Philippine corporations. ``We practically own everything in the Philippines,'' the Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted her as saying. Asked Monday how rich she was, Mrs. Marcos replied: ``I really don't know. I wish I knew.'' DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
