Sandigan allows travel of ex-Comelec chair Abalos amid NBN-ZTE graft case

Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos was allowed by the Sandiganbayan to travel to Colombia and the United States even as he faces a graft charge over the botched NBN-ZTE deal.

In a resolution, the antigraft court Fourth Division allowed Abalos to travel to Colombia via New York from June 20 to July 5 to accompany his son, Mandaluyong mayor Benhur Abalos, to receive a United Nations award for public service.

In his motion to travel abroad, Abalos said he wants to go to Medellin with his wife to attend the United Nations Public Service Forum on June 23 to 26.

The accused also plans to visit his relatives in the United States and have a medical check-up. He cited New York and California.

The court directed Abalos to pay a P90,000 travel bond and show himself before the court within five days after his return and present his passport.

The court reminded the accused to comply with the conditions otherwise he would be subject to another warrant of arrest.

“Any material misrepresentation made in the accused’s motion for leave to travel abroad shall be punished as contempt of this Court and shall be dealt with accordingly… He (should also) undertake to abide faithfully with all his undertakings such that any violation of the terms and conditions … shall be sufficient ground to order the forfeiture of travel bond, as well as to cause the issuance of a warrant for his arrest,” the court said.

Abalos faces a graft charge for allegedly brokering the national broadband network (NBN) project with China, having introduced China’s ZTE Corp. officials to then Finance Secretary Margarito Teves.

The prosecutors had told the court Abalos as then Comelec chair made a trip to China and became the “fortunate recipient of acts of generosity and hospitality” from a corporation which eventually entered into the $329 million contract with the government.

The graft case stemmed from allegations by whistleblower Rodolfo Lozada Jr. that Abalos lobbied for the ZTE Corp. to get the contract in exchange for a commission.

Lozada, who was involved in the project as technical adviser to then National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Director General Romulo Neri, had said Abalos wanted to secure his $130 million commission for the project.

Lozada had also said the contract price for the project was signed by the government at $329 million, or $67 million more than the $262 million evaluation which Lozada himself had made as a technical adviser for Neri

Abalos is a co-accused of former President Gloria Arroyo, who was accused of approving the deal despite knowing its irregularities, and for having lunch and playing golf with ZTE officials while their broadband project proposal was still being assessed by government.

Arroyo was charged with two counts of graft and one count of breach of the code of conduct for public officials for her approval of the NBN deal.

Arroyo later canceled the project after a scandal over its supposed overpricing and the alleged bribery of public officials erupted. The project would have interconnected government offices nationwide through broadband technology. AU