Marcos Complains About U.S. Trial
Imelda Marcos, widow of Ferdinand Marcos, the deposed Philippines president, came to court for the opening of her racketeering trial Tuesday and complained about being tried in the United States.
“I am a Filipino citizen. I should be tried in my own country, the Republic of the Philippines, not in a foreign country,” she said as she entered the U.S. District Courthouse. “I pray I will be treated and tried here like an ordinary American citizen.”
Federal marshals did their part to treat her as anyone else. They made Marcos run her purse through a metal detector before allowing her into the courtroom, where jurors were being selected.
Marcos, 60, is accused of taking part in the illegal transfer from her country’s treasury of more than $160 million that was used to buy Manhattan real estate. The indictment also alleges that she defrauded banking institutions of $165 million to finance the properties.
She is being tried with Saudi financier Adnan Khashoggi, who is accused of helping her and her husband hide their ownership of the real estate.
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