Ombudsman probers: VP Binay should be impeached for graft

Office of the Ombudsman building (Wikipedia photo)

MANILA – The Office of the Ombudsman sought filing an impeachment case against Vice President Jejomar “Jojo” Binay in connection with corruption allegations against him, including the overpriced construction of the Makati City Hall building and the Makati Science High School.

The anti-graft court’s Field Investigation Office (FIO) probers earlier claimed that the said Makati City projects that were constructed during the terms of Binay and his son suspended Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay were ‘a grand corruption scheme’ involving the ‘diversion of people’s money’ and the ‘illegal procurement and payment for the design and construction’ of the said projects.

“The release of millions of pesos for unutilized working drawings and plans, and the circumvention and violation of procurement laws to favor the contractors, have indeed, raided the coffers of the city government of Makati. The public officials responsible for such illegal transaction, and the private contractors who conspired with them, should therefore be held accountable,” the investigators’ report read.

The probers then filed a complaint last month, urging that Vice President Binay be prosecuted ‘for criminal and administrative’ offenses. They charged him for ‘purposes of determining sufficiency of evidence that would warrant filing of (an) impeachment complaint.’

Binay’s camp, on the other hand, dismissed the investigators’ move towards an impeachment case. They asserted that it was part of the demolition job against the Vice President, headed by his detractors from the ruling Liberal Party (LP).

“Contrary to the claim of Ombudsman [Conchita Carpio-Morales] that her office is ‘apolitical,’ her actions indicate the contrary,” Office of the Vice President media affairs chief Joey Salgado said. “Apparently, the Ombudsman and the Liberals are acting in unison in connection with the 2016 elections.”

“When Mayor Binay announced that the Simeon Marcelo Group (LP lawyers) is the unseen hand in the malicious persecution against the Binays in the Office of the Ombudsman, they did not even bother disputing the same,” Salgado added.

Salgado noted that the FIO probers did not even have ‘concrete’ evidence against Vice President Binay during the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee hearings.

“After 23 hearings, no concrete evidence has been offered to prove the allegations against the Vice President. But the senators and Roxas allies like Mr. [Jim] Paredes have accepted the lies as gospel truth, simply because they are anti-Binay from the start. It’s difficult to explain to those who do not want to listen,” Salgado said.