“I will be the next president” is perhaps what Philippine’s Vice President Jejomar Binay is telling U.S. President Barrack Obama as he welcomes the U.S. president upon his arrival at an airport in Manila April 28, 2014. (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) — The camp of Elenita Binay, the wife of Vice President Jejomar Binay, will file cases against the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) of the Ombudsman for reviving cases already dismissed with finality three years ago.
In a statement, Joey Salgado, Binay’s spokesman, said this could all be part of the demolition job against the vice president who has admitted several times that he will be seeking the presidency in 2016.
Salgado is referring to the reopening of malversation charges against Mrs. Binay in connection with the purchase of beds for the Ospital ng Makati during her tenure as Makati mayor.
As a result, the Sandiganbayan Third Division issued on May 20 a hold departure order.
Salgado lamented the manner by which the OSP had conducted their review of the dismissed cases, which, he said, “showed undue haste, harassment, and the blatant absence of transparency.”
He said there was not even any new evidence or witness to support the revival of the cases.
“We had hoped that given the highly charged political atmosphere arising from the revelations of Janet Lim-Napoles, the Ombudsman’s OSP, would have shown greater prudence to avoid allegations that it is persecuting those who are not allies of the administration,” he said.
Salgado noted that a white paper “masquerading as an investigative report” is being peddled in the media linking the vice president and his daughters, Senator Nancy Binay and Congresswoman Abigail Binay-Campos, to the pork scam.
“This is but a poor attempt to drag the Vice President’s name into the controversy. Since the PDAF scandal broke, the records of the Vice President, Senator Nancy, and Congresswoman Abby have been made open to the public for review. These records will show that the projects were properly implemented and fully liquidated,” Salgado said. (MNS)