Lapid pleads not guilty in fertilizer scam case

Senator Lito Lapid INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Outgoing Sen. Lito Lapid on Thursday pleaded not guilty to the graft case he is facing in the Sandiganbayan over the alleged fraudulent purchase of liquid fertilizers during his term as Pampanga governor in 2004.

Accompanied by his lawyer, Lapid showed up in the antigraft court’s First Division and opted to be arraigned as a condition for the granting of his request to travel abroad.

The actor-turned-politician, whose second six-year term as senator will end in June, had earlier petitioned the court to suspend his arraignment pending the resolution of his motion questioning his indictment by the Office of the Ombudsman.

“I actually want the case to proceed because I’m confident that the evidence against me is weak,” Lapid told reporters after his brief appearance in court.

“I believe that this case will be eventually dismissed,” he said.

Lapid, who is running for mayor of Angeles City in the May general elections, had been indicted for allegedly approving the procurement of 3,880 liters of liquid fertilizers, which the Ombudsman said was overpriced by P4.3 million.

The amount was part of the P728 million in fertilizer funds allegedly funneled to the campaign chest of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to bankroll her presidential bid in 2004.

The senator had asked the court to junk the case, saying the Ombudsman violated his constitutional rights for its failure to resolve the complaint within a reasonable period.

In his petition to travel, Lapid sought the court’s permission to fly to Germany from March 7 to 15 as part of the Philippine delegation to the Internationale Tourismus Borse.

Lapid, chair of the Senate committee on tourism, said his presence at the tourism gathering in Berlin is “important, if not indispensable.”

“The event shall be the Philippines’ platform to promote the country as a prime tourist spot,” he said in his three-page motion.

The court granted his request, but required him to pay a travel bond of P30,000. He earlier posted bail in the same amount.