Trillanes pleads not guilty to libel

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

SEN. ANTONIO Trillanes IV on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to the libel case filed against him by former Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay.

The senator said the case “won’t stop me from bringing down corrupt people like them.”

The arraignment was held at the Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 142, presided by Judge Dina Teves.

Binay’s complaint stemmed from the senator’s allegations that he bribed several justices of the Court of Appeals (CA) to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) on his suspension.

His lawyer, Dan Subido, said the case was filed to teach Trillanes a lesson so that he would not “use his position in bullying and destroying the reputation of people.”

Trillanes claimed in April last year that Binay paid millions in pesos to members of the CA sixth division to grant the TRO.

Binay sought to stop the preventive suspension issued by the Ombudsman while he was being investigated for alleged irregularities in the construction of the Makati City Hall Building II.

The CA found Trillanes guilty of indirect contempt for his “malicious and baseless” allegation. Erika Sauler