Graft raps eyed vs gov’t execs in fire truck deal

A lawyer, who had questioned in the Supreme Court the contract for the purchase of P3 billion worth of fire trucks from Austria, vowed to file graft charges against government officials who pursued the controversial procurement deal that led to the sacking of Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno.

In a statement, Leo Romero on Monday claimed that “money [was] really changing [hands]” after the Department of the Interior and Local Government defied President Duterte, who had suspected that the supply contract it entered into with Rosenbauer International AG was fraught with irregularities.

“It seems [that] there is a well-entrenched group or clique in the government that is [behind] this supply contract. Money can really do wonders. It can make you disobey the President,” Romero lamented.

“These culpable officials will also face administrative cases for countermanding the direct orders of the President,” he warned.

The lawyer chided presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella for “flip-flopping” on the issue.