Patricia Bautista’s camp fears ex-poll chief won’t return to PHL

Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Andres Bautista may no longer return to the country knowing that he may be held accountable for plunder, the camp of his estranged wife said Monday.

Lawyer Lorna Kapunan, spokesperson of Bautista’s estranged wife, Patricia Paz Bautista, said the former poll chief could evade a possible arrest over non-bailable plunder charges.

“Ang concern natin diyan eh alam naman natin eh plunder is non-bailable 'yan, at sapagkat si Chairman ay napakagaling na abogado according to him, eh 'di baka hindi na bumalik 'yan dito,” Kapunan told reporters in an interview.

Kapunan said Bautista should come out if he is truly innocent of the allegations against him.

“If you really are claiming innocence — flight is consistent with innocence. It is guilt that is consistent with flight,” she said.

Mrs. Bautista has alleged that her husband amassed nearly P1 billion in unexplained wealth. The former Comelec chair also supposedly owns 35 bank accounts with the Luzon Development Bank containing a total balance of P329,220,962.

Kapunan and Mrs. Bautista attended the Senate banks committee hearing on the possible violation of the former Comelec chairman of Republic Act 9160 or the anti-money laundering law.

Bautista was a no-show despite the issuance of a subpoena against him, saying he is still out of the country. According to him, he left the country last November 2017.

The committee chaired by Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero has cited Bautista in contempt, and has ordered his arrest, upon approval of the Senate leadership.

Mrs. Bautista said she has not spoken to her husband, and urged the latter to come forward.

“Like everybody else, we would like to know the truth about these documents,” she said.

“There was a time that there was a window [to talk]. This could have been talked about. But this window has passed. Sadly, this is where it is. We will take it wherever it leads us. Unfortunately, it has gotten to this point,” she said. —ALG, GMA News