Marcos vows to stop $14m jewellery auction

MANILA - Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines famed for her extravagant taste in shoes, has said she will take the Government to court to stop it selling millions of dollars of jewellery confiscated from her family in 1986.

President Gloria Arroyo's cash-strapped regime hopes to fund a land-reform programme from the proceeds, but Marcos, who faces criminal charges related to the dictatorship of her late husband, Ferdinand, vowed to take legal action.

"I am confident my efforts will be successful to stop the sale and recover my jewels. The Government has not shown any proof the funds used to buy them were ill-gotten."

The collection, which was seized in the popular revolt against the Marcos regime, is expected to fetch at least US$10 million ($14.2 million).

It is thought to include a Persian-style necklace decorated with more than 100 carats of canary and pink diamonds, and a diamond bracelet with a 31-carat centre stone. Marcos insists the items are family heirlooms.

Officials are adamant the auction will go ahead, possibly in Switzerland, this November or next May.

Marcos was found guilty on corruption charges in the 1990s and sentenced to a minimum of 12 years in prison, but the conviction was overturned on appeal.

Her husband died in 1989 without ever admitting any wrongdoing while in office.

- INDEPENDENT