Noli not yet off the hook in housing scandal, says VP Binay

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Thursday said that nobody, not even former Vice President Noli de Castro, is off the hook yet pending the conclusion of the investigation on the controversial housing loan mess involving real estate developer Globe Asiatique. Binay, who chairs both the Pag-IBIG Board of Trustees and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, said that although the investigation did not uncover any direct evidence against De Castro, it does not mean that the former vice president has been cleared. “Ang sabi ko ang ebidensya namin ay doon lang sa inihabla namin. Mahirap mag-speculate ng kaso. Pero hindi pa naman tapos ang imbestigasyon. There’s an ongoing investigation," he said at a press briefing. A report on GMA News' "24 Oras" on Thursday said De Castro had refused to comment on Binay's statement, noting that an investigation is ongoing. The Department of Justice (DOJ) had recommended the filing of a syndicated estafa case against Globe Asiatique president and chief executive officer Delfin Lee, Globe Asiatique officers Christina Sagun and Cristina Salagan, and Pag-IBIG Fund employee Alex Alvarez. The DOJ's Task Force on Securities and Business Scam said there was basis to allegations that the respondents conspired with one another in a "ghost borrowers" scheme that supposedly defrauded the government of about P6.65 billion. Under the fraudulent scheme, Globe Asiatique supposedly used fictitious buyers to secure loans from Pag-IBIG Fund for the Xevera housing project in Mabalacat, Pampanga. The real estate firm has denied anomaly in the housing project. Sen. Sergio "Serge" Osmeña III had earlier said that this would not have happened without the approval of the board of trustees. De Castro, when he was vice president and HUDCC chair, was also head of the Pag-IBIG board. [See: Pag-IBIG officials must be held accountable for loan mess – Osmeña] Binay, for his part, appealed to those who have direct evidence against people that may have a hand in the supposed illegal activity to come out in the open. “Nag-aapila kami sa mga may nalalaman sa mga ilegal na transaksyong ito. Please come forward and help us gather direct evidence," he said. - KBK, GMA News