Tiu may face charges if proven to be Binay dummy, says Cayetano

Businessman Antonio Tiu. INQUIRER PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines–Chinese-Filipino businessman Antonio Tiu may face obstruction of justice and tax evasion if it could be proven that he was a dummy of Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters on Friday.

“As of now hindi pa natin alam kung dummy lang siya at sa cover up lang siya kasama o sa mismong plunder kasama din siya (As of now we don’t know yet if he’s a dummy and just part of a cover up or he has taken part in the plunder),” Cayetano said when asked about the cases that could be filed against Tiu.

“So it can be as simple as obstruction of justice but it can be as complicated as plunder,” he said.

The businessman has been tagged as the Vice President’s dummy for the controversial property in Batangas but both repeatedly denied the allegation.

Tiu faced the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee last Wednesday and claimed that his company, Sunchamp Real Estate Development Corp, owns the 145-hectare Sunchamp Agri-Tourism Park, being linked to Binay.

The businessman said the property was only 145 hectares and not 350 hectares as earlier claimed by former Makati vice mayor Ernesto Mercado.

But Cayetano said if Tiu was the real owner of the property, then he wondered why he could not present any documents to prove his ownership of the land.

“Kung totoong si Tiu ang may ari, simple lang yan, lahat i submit niya (If indeed Tiu is the owner, it’s simple, just submit everything),” said the senator.

He said Tiu could not even provide documents that he had paid a P11 million downpayment when he supposedly bought the property at P446 million.

The businessman’s failure to prove his ownership of the property, Cayetano said, only bolstered suspicions that he was just used as Binay’s dummy.

“Tsaka yung mga litrato na hawak namin, between 2010 to before the scandal, the Binays continue to use it as their personal plaground (At the same time, the photos we have between 2010 until before the scandal broke showed the Binay using it as their personal playground),” the senator said.

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