Saturday, March 17, 2007 In Palace of Justice, Tingting tangles with man he sued for estafa
FORMER Cebu governor Vicente “Tingting” de la Serna figured in a commotion at the fourth floor of the Palace of Justice yesterday where he had a fierce argument with the man he sued for estafa.
Employees of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) Branch 5 handled by Judge Oscar Andrino went out of their offices after hearing loud voices in the hall.
A witness who requested anonymity said de la Serna pushed Jaro Joaquin, who also tried to defend himself by pushing de la Serna back.
Pacified
A policeman who was in Branch 4 pacified the two.
Cebu City Assistant Prosecutor Ma. Leonore Norma de la Serna, daughter of the former governor who also witnessed the incident, explained that her father pushed Joaquin only because Joaquin was provoking him.
The incident took place a few hours after the former governor and sixth district congressman confirmed in a radio DyAB interview that he was seriously considering a plan to run for Congress.
According to the younger de la Serna, her father told Joaquin after the hearing to stop lying.
Joaquin reacted by approaching the former governor and daring de la Serna to punch him.
Bad “cross”
Assistant City Prosecutor de la Serna said that instead of hitting Joaquin, her father merely pushed Joaquin’s body away from him.
She believes that Joaquin was frustrated after a “bad” cross-examination during yesterday’s hearing, where he testified that he lied in his counter-affidavit.
“I think he (Joaquin) really wanted my dad to hit him so he will have a reason to file counter-charges but my father did not do what he wanted him to do because he believes in the rule of law. If he didn’t, then he would not have filed a case against them in court,” she said.
Joaquin was charged before the court for estafa along with another respondent, Florame Ludo.
The case stemmed from the two’s alleged failure to return the P1,150,000 that the former governor gave as down payment for a condominium unit owned by Ludo.
According to Prosecutor de la Serna, the condo unit was offered to her father in 2003 on installment.
Failed to pay
But some time after de la Serna paid the down payment, Ludo allegedly persuaded her father to rescind the deed of sale by installment and made the former governor sign an annulment and rescission of contract.
The new contract stipulated that the former governor would surrender possession of the unit to Ludo, who would return the down payment.
But until now, the defendants allegedly failed to pay despite demands and even leased the condo unit to another person. (KNT)
