LP: Binay found guilty by 4 agencies

Liberal Party spokesman Rep. Barry Gutierrez NESTOR CORRALES/INQUIRER.NET

VICE President Jejomar Binay has been deemed “guilty” of corruption by four different institutions, according to the spokesperson of Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Mar Roxas.

“What more does VP Binay need to hear?” said LP coalition spokesperson and Akbayan Rep. Barry Gutierrez.

“The Senate says, he’s guilty. The Ombudsman says he’s guilty. COA (Commission on Audit) says he’s guilty. And now, the AMLC (Anti-Money Laundering Council) says he’s guilty,” he said.

“Why can’t he defend himself?” Gutierrez asked in a statement.

Gutierrez was reacting to the Inquirer report Tuesday on the findings of the AMLC that Binay had allegedly received billions of pesos in kickbacks from municipal infrastructure projects while he was serving as Makati mayor and that he had used the funds that were coursed through dummies to finance his campaign in the 2010 elections.

The AMLC report, signed by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Bank Governor Amando Tetangco Jr., who chairs the AMLC, stated that Binay and persons linked to him “engaged in layering, used third-party money launderers and made financial institutions as conduits.”

Binay Tuesday dismissed the report as unsubstantiated charges.

But Gutierrez said it was high time Binay squarely answered the allegations against him.

“He should face the people and show the evidence he says he has, not just deny. That won’t work in the courts,” he said.

“VP, you are running for President. How will you face the problems of society if you cannot face the damning evidence against your character and integrity?” he said.

“The Office of the President is an institution for service, not a den for thieves,” he said.