Some of the over 50 cases filed nationwide against the owner of bankrupt Legacy Group, Celso de los Angeles, other family members, former company officials, and a government official dragged into the multi-billion scandal are slowly gaining ground.

On Wednesday, the Justice Department, which heads the intra-agency Task Force Legacy, held its preliminary investigation on the earlier recommendation of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to file graft charges against several Legacy officials and former Securities Exchange Commission official Jesus Martinez.

The proceedings ended early since De los Angeles snubbed the proceedings, while Martinez requested for an extension of the submission of his counter-affidavit.

According to State Prosecutor Romeo Galvez, Martinez has said he is still recovering from his chemotherapy. Martinez's son, Gian Paulo, who was included in the case, was said to be taking care of him, thus they were not able to prepare for their counter-affidavits.

In late March, the NBI recommended to the Justice Department that Martinez, his son Gian Paolo Martinez and businesman-politician De los Angeles in connection with the complaints against Legacy Group's alleged fraudulent financial operations. The NBI said the 3 may be charged for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the Code of Conduct of Public Officials, and the bribery provision in the Revised Penal Code.

The NBI investigation found that Martinez and his son received gifts, including a P3.2 million-worth property in Paranaque and a Ford Expedition from Legacy Consolidated Plans, one of the Legacy-related pre-need companies.

Martinez was the commissioner in charge of overseeing the pre-need industry at the time that Legacy began to experience financial problems.

State Prosecutor Galvez said they gave the respondents up to May 15 to respond to the charges against them.

Cagayan de Oro

Meantime, the Cagayan de Oro prosecutor's office issued a resolution recommending that a syndicated estafa be filed against Legacy owner Celso de los Angeles, former chief operating officer Carolina Hinola, and 3 more former company executives. It did not specify the transactions that were cited in the case filed.

Estafa is a non-bailable criminal offense.

According to Cagayan de Oro chief prosecutor Fidel Macauyag, this is just one of the 26 syndicated estafa cases submitted in their office. There are over 50 cases filed against De los Angeles and other company officials nationwide.

Macauyag told ABS-CBN News, "The resolution charges at least 5 people for syndicated estafa. We recommended no bail for their temporary liberty. By tomorrow we will release another resolution."

Macauyag said the charges against De los Angeles' former wife Connie, son Martin Nicolo, mother Purita, and brother Victorino were dismissed since he said there are no evidence that the 3 were involved. The 3 were some of the incorporators in the companies involved in the fraudulent transactions of Legacy.

Meantime, Howard Calleja, the lawyer of De los Angeles' former wife Connie and son Martin Nicolo, said, "This shows that they were just mere incorporators and they had nothing to do with the transactions. The crime of the father is not the crime of the son. It is his alone."

According to De los Angeles' lawyer Noel Malaya, the Legacy owner is confined in a hospital because of diabetes. - with reports from Marieton Pacheco and Maricar Bautista, ABS-CBN News