Binay on alleged ill-gotten wealth: I have nothing to return

Video by Noy Morcoso

“I did not steal anything. So what will I return?”

That was the reaction of Vice President Jejomar Binay to the challenge of former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado to return his ill-gotten wealth to the government.

Mercado has said he would surrender his ill-gotten wealth and dared Binay to do the same.

“Wala naman akong ninakaw. So ano ang isasauli ko?” Binay told reporters during the National Housing Summit in Valenzuela City on Wednesday.

Mercado has admitted that Binay gave him P80 million from 2007 to 2009 for his campaign during the 2010 elections.

Mercado said the Binays including their associates and dummies should surrender P16 billion in bank deposits discovered by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), which was frozen by the Court of Appeals.

But Binay said they had not received a copy of the AMLC report.

“For several times we have requested a copy of the report. How can we explain our side if we don’t have a copy of the report?” he said.

Binay said his bank accounts ordered frozen by the Court of Appeals contained his hard-earned money.

“Pera ko ho iyon na malinis ang pinanggalingan,” he said.

According to Binay, the freeze order does not necessarily mean that the money in his bank accounts are illegal.

“Maghahanap pa (ang Court of Appeals) kung bawal o illegal (ang pinanggalingan ng pera),” he said.

He said the corruption allegations hurled against him and her family were all “aimed for perception” to condition the mind of the public.

He said his critics were all aware that “they are telling lies.”

“I assure you, wala ho kaming kasalanan,” he said. RC