Trillanes to file charges vs Calida

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said he is planning to file appropriate charges against Solicitor General Jose Calida in connection with the alleged conflict of interest seen in the contracts bagged by the family-owned Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Inc. (Visai) from the government.

Trillanes disclosed his plan on Tuesday during the hearing of the Senate committee on civil service, which he chairs.

“Incidentally, we’ll be filing appropriate charges against Mr. Calida,” he said.

During the hearing, the committee tackled the case of  Visai allegedly bagging multi-million contracts with the government.

Trillanes claimed that the security agency cornered a total of P358.3 million from the government.

READ: Ombudsman probes Calida’s security firm deals

The senator also presented documents from the Securities and Exchange Commission supposedly showing that Calida remained as the majority shareholder of the company until March 2018.

This was contrary to Calida’s reported claim that he had already resigned as president of the security firm in June 2016.

“As late as March 20, 2018, kita natin dito sa (we see in the) SEC documents, siya pa rin ang may hawak ng 60 percent share, it so Mr. Calida (he still owns 60 percent share),” Trillanes said.

“In short, hindi sya nag-divest (he did not divest),” he added.

READ: SolGen still owns security firm

The senator also cited documents from the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System’s (PhilGEPS) website, which supposedly shows Calida as the “president and contact person” of the security firm.

Trillanes earlier pointed to Calida and President Rodrigo Duterte himself as the persons allegedly behind the revocation of the amnesty granted to him by then President Benigno Aquino III. /ee

READ: Trillanes thinks Calida is behind revocation of amnesty granted to him