Sandigan sets Mrs Binay graft arraignment Jan 18

The Sandiganbayan Fourth Division has set the arraignment of former Makati City Mayor Elenita Binay and former city councilor and former general services chief Ernesto Aspillaga on January 18 next year on a graft charge filed against them by the Office of the Ombudsman. In a notice to appear issued last December 20, the Fourth Division ordered Binay and Aspillaga to present themselves before court at 8:30 a.m. to enter their plea relative to the case. The order was signed by Joffre (sic) Gil C. Zapata, Executive Clerk of Court III. Both were accused of involvement in the alleged anomalous purchase of office fixtures and furniture for the new Makati City Hall from private contractor Office Gallery International between December 1999 and February 2000. Based on a report submitted by a team of government auditors, the acquisitions worth P13.25 million was overpriced by P3.6 million. Named private defendants in the case were businessmen Li Yee Shing, Jason Li and Vivian M. Edurise, executives of furniture supply firm. The two accused tried to get the charges against them dismissed but in a resolution dated July 27, the graft court upheld their indictment based on the information filed. The court overruled the defendants’ argument that there were fatal defects in the information pertaining to the amount of the supposed cost-padding and the absence of allegation of non-delivery of the items paid for. It said “allegations contained in the information sufficiently provide factual details which tend to show that the award of the procurement (contract) was illegal and unlawful because it was made thru a repeat order based on a simulated/rigged public bidding." - GMANews.TV