By Vir B. Lumicao
The elderly Filipina tourist accused of trying to cash a
fake US$50 million check at Hang Seng Bank two years ago will face trial, after
all.
This was after District Court Judge Ernest Lee decided on
Nov. 20 to ignore an application to stay the trial on the ground that 76-year-old defendant Maria Ilao Gosilatar is in poor health.
Judge Lee set the trial for Jan 28 –Feb 1, adding an extra
day to the original three-day hearing to allow the defense to make a stay
application then.
Gosilatar, who is said to be suffering from a growing tumor in her brain, has been in police custody since Dec 9, 2016.
She was arrested along with a local accountant while trying
to cash the check at the Hang Seng Bank headquarters in Central, then charged with using a false instrument.
In the previous hearing on Nov 8, defense lawyers said they
wanted the prosecution to consider halting the case against Gosilatar because of her poor health.
The trial was originally set for Oct 26-30, but had been postponed
because the defense wanted to present a second medical report.
Shaun Kelly, for the defense, said at the latest hearing
that his team had received the second medical report on Gosilatar from a Dr
Mohamad.
Kelly asked for a break so he could confer with the
prosecution about halting the trial, but Judge Lee said this could be done
during the trial.
Gosilatar, who claimed to be the chairwoman of a
Bulacan-based charity called Mama Mary 2000 International Foundation, had told
the court that the check was donated to her charity by unidentified people.
Later on, she told the court she had received a report from
Philippine police saying she was a victim of scammers. She did not elaborate.
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