Sandiganbayan calls ex-President Arroyo on botched ZTE deal

The Sandiganbayan on Tuesday summoned former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as a witness to the graft case surrounding the $329-million National Broadband Network (NBN) project. The Arroyo administration entered into a contract with China’s Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE) Corp. on April 20, 2007 in Hainan, China for the project. But when alleged irregularities linked to the deal surfaced in the media, Arroyo cancelled the project in October 2007. On July 14, 2008, the Supreme Court dismissed three petitions questioning the constitutionality of the ZTE deal, saying the petitions became moot when the project was cancelled. The graft court issued the subpoena for Arroyo – now a representative of Pampanga’s Second District –which was delivered to the office of House secretary general Marilyn Barua-Yap by process server Danilo Kempis of the Sandiganbayan security and sheriff services office. Barua-Yap confirmed receiving the subpoena but refused to give the media a copy of it. “I do not think it is proper for me to do that. It is addressed to GMA [Arroyo’s initials]. I have to transmit it to her office," she said in a text message to reporters. In a statement, Elena Bautista-Horn, Arroyo’s spokesperson and chief of staff, said that the Pampanga representative's office received the summon Tuesday afternoon. "Since this involves a legal matter, we are referring the subpoena to whoever will be the legal counsel for advice. We need to assure that the subpoena is legally appropriate and would not violate any of her Constitutional or legal rights," she said. Arroyo is expected to answer queries on the authority former Socio Economic and Planning Secretary Romulo Neri exercised over the alleged overpriced project. The summons ordered Arroyo attend the hearings scheduled for Oct. 13 and 28 and Nov. 11. Neri and former Commission on Elections chair Benjamin Abalos are facing graft charges in separate divisions of the Sandiganbayan for their alleged involvement in the anomalous deal. On Monday, the anti-graft court said Arroyo would be one of those who will be called to shed light on the issue. —VS, GMANews.TV