JocJoc Bolante’s asylum: DENIED
THE United States has denied the petition for political asylum of former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc Joc” Bolante, a UP law professor who has been monitoring the case said yesterday.
“My sources have said that was denied three or four days ago… Maybe on Wednesday,” Harry Roque said in a phone interview.
“It was denied because of insufficiency (of evidence his life was in danger)… He doesn’t qualify for an asylum… The judge (handling his case) is very strict,” he said.
Roque said he expected the decision of the Chicago, Illinois Immigration Court, saying Bolante’s petition was “doomed from the very beginning.”
Bolante filed the petition in September last year, saying the New People’s Army was after him.
Roque said political asylum can be availed of only if a petitioner can establish “well-grounded fear of persecution owing to his membership to a political… or religious group.”
In the amicus brief filed by Roque, he argued that Bolante was just “evading criminal prosecution and not political prosecution.”
Roque said he was not able to get a copy of the decision. He said he will check with the Bureau of Immigrations Appeal if Bolante has filed an appeal.
Bolante has 30 days to appeal the decision with the BIA.
Roque said Bolante would stay in prison until the BIA rules on his appeal.
Roque said the case could reach the US Court of Appeals or even all the way up to the Supreme Court if both the BIA and CA would junk the appeal. He said it could take around three years for the appeal to be decided at the level of the CA.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Bolante’s return would help clear the fertilizer fund issue.
“Lahat ng paratang kay Bolante kinakailangang harapin niya, especially ngayon na private citizen na siya,” he said.
Bolante arrived at the Los Angeles International Airport in July 2006 but was immediately detained by immigration officials after the US Embassy in the Manila canceled his tourist-business visa on the request of the Senate after he snubbed hearings on the alleged P728 million fertilizer scam.
Bolante’s lawyers have branded as “politically motivated” reports linking him to the fund diversion. (With Jocelyn Montemayor.
First seen on the blog of Ellen Tordesilla
Too much for that, kahit magmura mura tau dito e wala mangyayari, batas na ang bahala (real justice).
hinto nyo na iyan lalo lang nag papadagdag ng problem sa pilipinas yan…………
ay naku,c bulante nga ang isa sa mga salot dyan sa scam na yan.hayaan niyo na baril nalang ang katapat niyan kung walang hustisya at katarungan na malutas ang problema na yan.Ang Maykapal nalang ang bahala kasi sino ba naman ang magnanakaw na umaamin sa siya any nagnanakaw?yan si bolante bagay maging bolate pesteng yawa niya.kung ako lang malapit sa kinatatayuan ni bolante batohin ko talaga siya para matapos na ang kasinungalingan niya.Bagay na dyan nalang siya magtira sa St. Lukes Hospital para dyan matapos buhay niya.napakadevil ng ugali niya.
even though he denied the involvement of President Gloria for me 100% President gloria are involve in that issue.
Iisang lahi yang pamilya macapagal-arroyo at mga marcoses.
Si Mike Arroyo dinaig pa si Imelda sa kaswapangan. Si Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo kahit pandak sobra naman sa tangkad sa pagsisinungaling.
walang hiya talaga ang bolante yan!kurakot,dapat magsama sila ni aroyo sa kulungan
Anak ng putakte tong joc joc bolante kapal ng mukha, sikmura, di na nahiya. Assylum? for what? Mahiya nman siya, di q tuloy maiwasan ngaun mag-isip n lhat ng ginagastos nya ngaun s america, ung ibinubuhay nya at ng kung cnong mga member ng pamilya nya, cmula nang nakapwesto sya eh gling s kban ng bayan(kurakot b?), sus, ngaun p napabalita eh treasurer sya ngaun rotary club s chicago, anak ng tinokwa eh pera n nman yan, eh to nmang mga rotarian eh me pagkatanga ata, e2 nammang c mike arroyo eh ayoko nang magkomento kce sayang lang ala nmang kwentang tao yan eh, isa aqng ordinaryong OFW pero ala syang makukuhang ni isang respeto s akin, imagine mo naman 720B pesos, tapos assylum
???