Nancy Binay pleads to spare mother from ‘political circus’
Senator Nancy Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Senator Nancy Binay on Wednesday appealed to groups adversarial to her family to spare her mother, former Makati Mayor Dra. Elenita Binay, from “political circus.”
“We are not aware that the whole time our family is being monitored and watched by Big Brother. It’s not fair to use my mom in the demolition job against the Vice President—please spare her,” the senator said in a statement.
Senator Binay was referring to “Omnibus Motion” of the Ombudsman’s Office of Special Prosecutor, asking the Sandiganbayan to admit an “Amended Information” that would include Dr. Binay as an additional accused in a case stemming from a 10-year-old complaint during her term as mayor of Makati City
The complaint, the senator said, was already dismissed by the Ombudsman in 2011 for lack of evidence.
She then scored the “surreptitious resurrection” of the dismissed complaint against her mother, noting that the timing was suspect given the high approval and trust ratings of her father, Vice President Jejomar Binay.
“Huwag naman sanang gamitin ang mother ko para pilayin ang pamilya namin,” the senator added.
Her mother’s lawyer, Felicitas Arroyo, described the revival of the case against the former mayor as “pure harassment.”
“Ten years after the filing of the complaint against the former mayor before the Ombudsman in 2003 and more than two years after the complaint was dismissed, the Office of the Special Prosecutor suddenly decided to charge Mrs. Binay in court and overturn the previous dismissal based on the same set of facts and evidence.” Arroyo said in the same statement.
She said the former mayor was surprised to receive in her home a registered mail from the Office of the Special Prosecutor containing a court motion designated as “Omnibus Motion and Compliance” dated January 15, 2014.
The said motion was filed by Assistant Special Prosecutor II Arieta P. Say before the Third Division of the Sandiganbayan.
The statement noted that the Office of the Special Prosecutor is now being headed in an acting capacity by a Palace appointee, Melchor Arthur H. Carandang.
The filing of the “Omnibus Motion” was done a week after the previous head of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, Wendell Sulit, was replaced, the statement further noted.
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