Sandigan fast-tracking Binay cases, says presiding justice

The Sandiganbayan is fast-tracking the resolution of pending motions by former Vice President Jejomar Binay and his son, former Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay, to dismiss their graft cases in connection with the alleged overpriced P2.28-billion City Hall carpark building.

Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, however, stressed that in deciding the cases, “justice must not be placed at the mercy of speed.”

“We are actually trying to speed it up, because of course, this is part of our efforts to speed up the resolution of cases,” she told reporters in an interview.

“But, as the Supreme Court would say, it should not only be speed. There should be speed and justice as well. That is what we are trying to do, the best way we can do it,” Tang said.

Tang, who heads the court’s Third Division that handles the Binay cases, said the tribunal was swamped with around 20 other motions for judicial determination of probable cause by the Binays’ coaccused. The motions are still “under study,” she said.

The motions question the Office of the Ombudsman’s basis for indicting the Binays and urge the court to dismiss the case for lack of grounds to go to trial.

“Of course, you have to parse through them one by one, so you can come up with a judicious determination of all the grounds that are raised in their individual motions,” Tang said.

The Ombudsman had accused the Binays and other city officials of graft and malversation in the bidding for the design and construction of the building to favor their preferred contractors.

Barred from public office

The construction took six years, beginning in 2007 when the elder Binay was still the mayor. His son, who replaced him in 2010, would see the project through until its completion in 2013.

The younger Binay has been dismissed by the Ombudsman and perpetually disqualified from public office because of his participation in the project.

The Third Division is also handling the graft and malversation cases against the former Vice President’s wife, former Makati City Mayor Elenita Binay, in connection with the allegedly irregular procurement of P45 million worth of supplies for Ospital ng Makati in 2000 and 2001.

Binay’s wife has asked Tang to inhibit from the cases, arguing that the presiding justice  made biased comments on her motion to have them reraffled.