Interior Secretary Jose Lina lodged the complaint before the Justice Department against Honasan and six others belonging to a civilian group that had allegedly helped rogue soldiers carry out the July 27 mutiny at the Makati financial district.

Under the Philippine justice system, state prosecutors determine whether there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges in court.

"Definitely, he is one of the leaders. There are other politicians and some other financiers whom we are gathering evidence against," Lina said of Honasan, a former army colonel who led several coup attempts in the 1980s.

Honasan, who was pardoned in 1995, was the first senior political figure publicly implicated by the government in the coup attempt. He denies the allegation.

The government last week also arrested Ramon Cardenas, a member of the cabinet of deposed Filipino leader Joseph Estrada, for his alleged role in the coup.

The complaint included a deposition by a military intelligence officer, Major Perfecto Ragil, who alleged that he met with Honasan and the other plotters at a suburban Manila house on June 4 where the senator allegedly discussed the power grab.

"The discussion concluded that we must use force, violence and armed struggle to achieve the vision" of Honasan's political platform, called the National Recovery Program, the sworn statement said.

Ragil alleged that Honasan vowed that "colleagues who would be traitors" to the cause would be killed.

The senator also presided over a bizarre ceremony wherein he and the other conspirators cut themselves with a knife and then used their own blood to imprint their thumbmarks on documents and flags used by the group, Ragil said.

In a telephone interview on Monday Honasan, who has not been seen in public for a week, told reporters: "I was never in any secret meeting where there was a blood compact where the plot to launch the Makati incident took place. I categorically deny that."

Ragil also said that one of the detained mutiny leaders, Captain Gary Alejano, went to see him early last month and asked him to shut down the telephone system of Malacanang presidential palace "when the D-Day arrives".

Lina asked the justice department to put the officer under its witness protection program.

The rebellion collapsed in less than 24 hours when its participants failed to rally wider support.

Last week, state prosecutors filed rebellion charges against the 321 soldiers involved in the coup plot. The soldiers also face possible court martial.

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