WHEN Corazon Aquino came to power at the helm of a 'people power' revolt in 1986 she cleared the way for graft charges to be laid against former strongman Ferdinand Marcos. Now Mrs Aquino herself is facing similar allegations.
Political enemies of Mrs Aquino are using the opening she created in the constitution in 1986, by removing politicians' immunity to prosecution, to sue her on graft charges for allegedly allowing her relatives to amass great wealth.
'These people are her relatives. She had the power to undo their transactions,' said Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, who has been openly feuding with Mrs Aquino in the past few years.
The accusations against Mrs Aquino centred on 39 companies formerly owned by Benjamin Romualdez, a brother-in-law of Marcos.
They were allegedly sold by the Government on to Mrs Aquino's brother-in-law, Ricardo Lopa, at reportedly 'anomalously low prices'.
The companies, which have assets running into millions of dollars, were among those sequestered by the Aquino Government on suspicion that they belonged to the former strongman.
The Anti-Graft League of the Philippines, which filed charges against Mrs Aquino on Tuesday, said Lopa acquired the 39 companies for 'a measely sum of five million pesos (HK$1.45 million) when one of the firms was already worth 100 million pesos.' Crispin Reyes, head of the Anti-Graft League, said the companies should be sold through public bidding after the court had ruled on Mr Romualdez' ownership, and should only be sold if they were ordered to be forfeited by a court in favour of the Government.