Former Vice President Jejomar Binay, his son and former Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, and 22 others were acquitted on Friday, August 22, by the Sandiganbayan in connection with the alleged anomalous construction of the ₱2.2-billion Makati City Hall Parking Building, or known as the Makati Carpark Project.
In a report by RH Val Gonzales in MBC TV Network News, the Sandiganbayan Third Division ruled that the anti-graft court declared all the accused “not guilty” of 23 criminal charges, including multiple counts of graft, malversation of public funds, and falsification of public documents. The court said that Ombudsman prosecutors failed to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The charges stemmed from allegations that between 2007 and 2013, public bidding was not conducted for the project and that documents were manipulated to ensure contracts were awarded to two specific firms: Hilmarc’s Construction Corporation and Mana Architecture and Interior Design Co.
The project started in 2007 during Jojo Binay’s term as Makati mayor and was completed during the term of his son, Junjun.
The Office of the Ombudsman filed the cases in 2016, shortly after Binay’s term as vice president ended, alleging that the project was overpriced and irregularly awarded.
After almost a decade of litigation, the Sandiganbayan ruled that the evidence was insufficient to establish criminal liability against the Binays and their co-accused.
