Trillanes contempt hearing moved

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

The Court of Appeals (CA) has reset oral arguments originally scheduled Friday on the contempt case that suspended Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr. filed against Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV for his accusations of bribery against justices of a separate division who had granted the mayor’s plea to stop the Ombudsman’s first preventive suspension order against him.

The CA’s Fifth Division confirmed this on Thursday, saying the new schedule is expected to be known Friday, when the resolution is released. The reason for the resetting has also yet to be known.

The Fifth Division had initially set the oral arguments Thursday afternoon, supposedly the first hearing on the case, as “there are matters to be clarified” to the parties or their witnesses, the court earlier said.

Binay had asked the court to cite Trillanes in contempt for accusing CA’s Sixth Division Associate Justices Jose Reyes and Francisco Acosta of accepting an alleged P50-million payoff to stop the mayor’s suspension in April.

The two magistrates have denied the allegations. The matter is under investigation on orders of CA Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr.

The mayor is currently suspended over his alleged role in the supposed bid rigging for the construction of the 10-story Makati Science High School.