Philippine police chief says German police deny Der Spiegel report

The German news magazine Der Spiegel said Estrada received 40 per cent of the 20 million dollars in ransom money provided for the release of the hostages, whom the Abu Sayyaf rebels had held on a southern Philippine island.

Another 10 per cent was pocketed by chief government hostage negotiator Robert Aventajado, the magazine said, quoting German police intelligence sources.

Der Spiegel said German police intelligence agents discovered the alleged ransom skimming by listening in on satellite telephone conversations between Aventajado and a leader of the hostage-takers, Abu Sayyaf commander Galib Andang, known as Robot. But Philippine National Police chief Director General Panfilo Lacson said transcripts of the monitored telephone conversations did not contain any "suggestions about a commission" on the ransom payments.

"German police confirmed that our transcripts are correct," he said, without identifying his contacts in Germany. "Even at their end, there were no conversations about a commission involving Secretary Aventajado and/or President Estrada."

Lacson said Philippine police even sent two officers to Germany to help German police translate the conversations, some of which were done in a local dialect. The Philippine police officers stayed in Germany for one month. "The Der Spiegel report was really surprising because nowhere in the conversations were commissions mentioned, much less allusions of kickbacks for President Estrada," he said.

Estrada and Aventajado have both denied the allegation and plan to file a libel suit against Der Spiegel, which published the report amid the chief executive's impeachment trial over bribery and corruption charges.

Aventajado said he and Estrada might take a joint legal action. He added that his lawyers were now studying where the case would be filed and how much compensation would be demanded. The Abu Sayyaf abducted 21 hostages from Malaysia's Sipadan diving resort in April and brought them to Jolo island, 1,000 kilometres south of Manila. Three Germans were among the captives, who also included tourists from Finland, France and South Africa. Most were freed in August and September.

Libya supplied the bulk of the ransom money paid to the Abu Sayyaf for the release of the hostages. During the hostage crisis, the extremists also held captive Der Spiegel correspondent Andreas Lorenz until the magazine paid an undisclosed amount of ransom.

Aventajado and other government officials have questioned the timing of the accusation, saying it could have been arranged by critics of Estrada to coincide with the president's impeachment trial.

Estrada, the first Asian leader to be impeached, is on trial in the Senate on charges of bribery, graft and corruption, betrayal of the public trust and violations of the constitution. The trial started Thursday.

(klei/dpa)