By Fel V. Maragay

SENATOR Richard Gordon yesterday took to task the Anti-Money Laundering Council over its failure to take legal action against former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante in connection with 32 suspicious bank accounts under his name.

Gordon, chairman of the Blue Ribbon committee assailed executive director Vicente Aquino for reneging on his promise to submit the findings of the Council on its probe of the Bolante accounts which have been unfrozen.

Gordon expressed dismay that no civil forfeiture case was filed against Bolante in connection with the suspicious bank accounts during the six-month effectivity of the freeze order issued by the Court of Appeals.

?Six months, the maximum period of the freeze order allowed by law, had lapsed without a single civil forfeiture case being filed against Mr. Bolante. AMLC has been remiss in running after these suspicious Bolante accounts,? he told an impromptu press briefing.

The freeze order on the bank accounts expired on Dec. 20, 2008. The appellate court did not grant an extension of the order.

Gordon said Aquino appeared before the hearing of the committee on Dec. 10 and assured the senators that the AMLC was doing its job to investigate the Bolante accounts.

But Aquino declined to divulge any information pertaining to the progress of the probe and he also failed to inform the committee that the freeze order was set to expire l0 days later.

?What the AMLC should have done was that, while the assets have been frozen during the six-month period, they should have filed for preliminary attachment, forfeiture or extension of the freeze order. Clearly, this was not done by the AMLC, and ergo, they are remiss in the performance of their duties,? he said.

Reports had quoted a Court of Appeals official as saying that ?since there is no extension of the freeze order, Bolante cannot be prevented from withdrawing the funds.?

Antonio Zulueta, Bolante?s lawyer, has filed a motion before the First Division of the appellate court for a issuance of a certification that the freeze order expired on Dec. 20 and no extension has been issued by the court.

?Now that the freeze order has already expired and there is no extension of the order, Bolante can no longer be prevented from withdrawing the funds. The legal impediment has now been practically lifted,? he said.

Gordon said that the AMLC and the Office of the Solicitor General can still remedy the situation by asking the CA to extend the freeze order.