Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Imelda Marcos asks Filipino court's permission to visit China (5:23 p.m.)
MANILA -- Former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos has asked an anti-graft court to allow her to travel for two weeks in China and Hong Kong, where she will seek eye treatment and be a guest at a trade exhibition, her lawyer said Wednesday.
The 78-year-old widow of dictator Ferdinand Marcos is not detained, but faces a string of criminal and civil cases related to billions of dollars in alleged ill-gotten wealth amassed by her family during her husband's 20-year rule.
Lawyer Robert Sison said Marcos has been invited to be a guest of honor at a trade exhibition in the northeastern Chinese province of Jilin and wants to visit Hong Kong to consult an eye doctor for her glaucoma. She may also seek treatment from a Chinese traditional doctor for pain in her knee, he added.
Sison said he filed a request with the anti-graft court to allow Marcos to travel September 1 to 14, after which she promises to return home. The former beauty queen, known for her extensive shoe and jewelry collection, has previously been allowed by the court to travel overseas. (AP)
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