FORMER Vice President Jejomar Binay, his son, former Makati mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr., and their co-accused were acquitted of charges in connection with the alleged anomalous construction of the P2.2-billion Makati parking building.
In a decision penned by Justice Ronald Moreno of the Sandiganbayan Third Division, the Binays and their co-accused were found not guilty of malversation of public funds and multiple counts of graft and falsification of public documents after the prosecution failed to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The court also lifted the hold departure order against the accused.
The charges were filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in July 2016, shortly after the end of former Vice President Binay’s term.
The project had earlier been flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Ombudsman as allegedly overpriced and anomalous, particularly for supposedly bypassing proper bidding, planning, and procurement processes.
The elder Binay served as Makati City mayor from 2001 to 2010.
The project was implemented during the latter part of his term as local chief executive and was later continued by his son, who served as Makati mayor from 2010 to 2013. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)