No links to Mexican drug cartel, Levistes insist before DOJ

For the first time since their family was dragged into the Batangas drug raid scandal, Vice Governor Jose Antonio Mark Leviste II and his father, Conrad, personally appeared before the Justice Department to deny any links to the alleged Mexican drug cartel.   

On Wednesday, Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera told GMA News Online that the Levistes personally subscribed to their respective affidavits on Tuesday, along with Benedicto Orense, coprorate secretary of LBJ Development Corp.

 

Conrad is the twin brother of paroled homicide convict and former Batangas Gov. Jose Antonio Leviste. Mark is the province's incumbent vice governor.

 

LBJ Development Corp. was dragged into the contrvoersy bacause it manages Running Spring Real Estate Inc, which owns the the LPL Ranch Estate (Block 4, Lot 4) in Barrio Inosluban in Lipa City where authorities recovered illegal drugs in December last year.

 

The seized drugs were said to have been traced to the Mexican Sinoloa drug ring, which has been tagged by international media as Mexico's most powerful drug syndicate.  Authorities estimated the seized items to be worth P420 million. 

 

To prove he was neither the owner nor lessor of the LPL ranch, Vice Governor Leviste attached in his affidavit copies of a Securities and Exchange certificate of filing amended articles of incorporation, as well as a transfer certificate of title showing the property was owned by Running Spring Real Estate Inc.

 

He admitted that Running Spring was one of their family corporations and that he was a "nominal stockholder" of the company. 

 

The vice governor, however, clarified: "I have not participated in any way in the operations of Running Spring since I was elected as a public official."

 

"I earlier informed my family of my intent not to be involved and deliberately chose to concentrate on my duties as a government employee and render public service to the province of Batangas and my fellow Batangueños," he added.

 

Mark Leviste said the ranch was later leased to a certain Jorge/George Torres, whom the vice governor denied having known or ever met. He also said he was unaware of any illegal activities happening inside the property.

 

"I specifically deny any insinuation, hint, allusion, innuendo, allegation or reference thatmy family members, our family companies and myself have any direct or indirect connection with the Sinaloa Mexico and/or Chinese drug cartes," he insisted.

 

He added he was wiling to cooperate with government investigators who are probing the incident.

 

Last week, former Batangas Governor Leviste appeared before the DOJ's preliminary investigation on the matter and denied any involvement in illegal activities in their family ranch.

 

He bemoaned that his and his family's reputation were not only “tarnished and besmirched,” but his conditional freedom was likewise placed at risk by the “unwarranted, baseless and cruel news report.”

 

“I appeal to all concerned to please be accurate and circumspect in their statements and reporting of the facts of the case, to spare my family further pain and suffering,” he said. — Mark Merueñas/RSJ, GMA News