Aquino Government Sues Marcoses for $750 Million

The government today filed a $750-million suit against ousted ruler Ferdinand E. Marcos, his wife, Imelda, and several associates in the first Philippine court action to recover the spoils of the Marcos regime.

The suit seeks the largest award of damages in Philippine history, but officials said Marcos may use the formal filing of the case to demand that he be allowed to return from exile in Hawaii to defend himself.

The suit asks an anti-graft court to declare the government of President Corazon Aquino the owner of four Manhattan buildings and a Long Island estate in Suffolk County worth between $250 million and $350 million and allegedly owned by the Marcoses.

With Restraining Order

The court action, the first against Marcos in the Philippines, is intended to complement a restraining order issued by a U.S. District Court blocking the sale of the buildings until the true ownership is determined.

Although a favorable ruling on the case by the Manila court would not affect the status of the property, it would strengthen the government’s case in the U.S. courts, officials said.

The suit, filed by Aquino’s Commission on Good Government and the attorney general, asks that Marcos and his wife, 10 other people and nine corporations pay $500 million in punitive damages.

Commission Chairman Jovito Salonga said the punitive damages were intended to “serve as an example for the public good” and were set at $500 million, “considering the value of the properties involved . . . and the shameless plunder of the wealth of the country.”

$10 Billion Involved

Marcos, his wife and associates are alleged to have robbed from the national treasury as much as $10 billion during his 20-year administration, funneling as much as $5 billion into Swiss bank accounts that also are the subject of litigation.

Salonga said that because the suit filed today involves civil action and not criminal action, it would be unnecessary for Marcos to return home and appear in court. He said he can be served a summons and can give testimony from exile in Hawaii.

However, Salonga said Marcos could demand to return, although subjecting himself to the Philippine courts would be tantamount to recognizing the legitimacy of Aquino’s government “and he doesn’t want to do that.”

The government has revoked Marcos’ passport and reaffirmed a decision earlier this month banning him from returning to attend the funeral of his sister Elizabeth Marcos Keon, who died of heart failure Dec. 14 at the age of 65.