MANILA - One of the country's top fugitives, businessman Delfin Lee, has been arrested, police said Thursday.Lee, a property developer, was brought to Camp Crame and underwent medical check-up, police said.
Exclusive video footage taken by radio dzMM reporter Eric Dastas showed Lee wearing a blue shirt while he was surrounded by police officers inside a room at Camp Crame.
He was arrested Thursday night by Task Force Tugis operatives led by Chief Inspector Vanni Martinez while he was leaving a hotel in Pasay City, police said.
The task force was formed to capture the country's top 5 high-profile fugitives that include Lee, Jovito Palparan, Ruben Ecleo Jr., and brothers Joel Reyes and Mario Reyes.
The Court of Appeals earlier cleared Lee of syndicated estafa charges and ordered police to stop his arrest.
This was in connection with the over P7 billion of Pag-IBIG loans that went to "ghost borrowers" for Lee's housing project in Mabalacat, Pampanga.
The court's 29-page decision reversed an earlier ruling by a Pampanga trial court that issued a warrant of arrest against Lee.
The justices ruled Lee can't be charged with syndicated estafa because that crime should involve five or more persons.
Since Lee's co-accused, Cristina Sagun, an executive of his company, was earlier absolved by the same court, the syndicated estafa charges won't have any more legal basis.
Housing czar and Vice-President Jejomar Binay had said they would bring the case to the Supreme Court.
'Not final and executory'
Justice Sec. Leila de Lima earlier said the decision of the special 15th division of the appellate court is not yet final and executory.
"We take the position that the warrant of arrest against Delfin Lee still stands since the resolution of the Court of Appeals has not attained finality yet," she said
