Aquino May Let Imelda Marcos Return, but She’ll Face Charges

President Corazon Aquino said Thursday that her government will allow Imelda Marcos to return to the Philippines--but she will face charges if she does.

Aquino said Philippine officials would file charges against her as part of efforts to recover money allegedly stashed in Swiss banks by Imelda Marcos and her late husband, former President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

“Once the charges are filed, she will be allowed to return to face these charges and defend herself,” Aquino said in a statement.

Imelda Marcos applied for a passport in New York on Thursday, saying she wants permission to bury her husband’s remains in their homeland.

James Linn, Imelda Marcos’ lawyer, said she was pleased that Manila says she can go home.

“Even if they arrest her when she gets off the plane, she will go at the earliest opportunity,” he said.

He added: “There’s no proof of any criminal activity on the part of Mrs. Marcos.”

Aquino did not say when the charges would be filed, but said Manila and the Bush Administration will discuss the lifting of the State Department’s hold-departure order against Imelda Marcos.

Swiss authorities have said that in order to proceed with efforts to recover allegedly embezzled funds in Swiss bank accounts, the Manila government must allow Imelda Marcos to return home to face charges.

The Swiss federal court has also ruled that her conviction would be necessary for the money at issue--about $350 million in Swiss banks--to be returned to Manila.

In New York last year, Imelda Marcos was acquitted of all criminal charges in a racketeering trial in which she was accused of looting the Philippine treasury of $160 million.

The Philippine government has accused the Marcoses of stealing as much as $10 billion during Marcos’ 20-year rule.

The Marcoses fled into exile in the United States after they were ousted in a popular revolt in 1986, which installed Aquino as president. Ferdinand Marcos died in Hawaii in September, 1989.

Aquino barred their return for security reasons and had asked the United States to prevent their departure.