Gonzalez denies receiving goodwill money

MANILA, Philippines - Former justice secretary Raul Gonzalez denied yesterday allegations that he received bribe money from a brother of an influential businessman on a pending case.

Gonzalez challenged Sen. Panfilo Lacson to come out with evidence to support the allegation of bribery.

“I deny that. I have not received any goodwill money from anyone. Let them come out with evidence. I’m sure they can’t, and then I will file a libel case,” Gonzalez said.

According to Lacson, the businessman worked for Gonzalez’s ouster from the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The businessman allegedly tried to gather evidence against his sibling over a case pending with the Presidential Commission on Good Government, which is under the DOJ.

Lacson alleged the businessman’s sibling met Gonzalez and gave “goodwill money” for supposedly interfering with the case.

Lacson claimed he has information on how much Gonzalez allegedly received from the businessman’s sibling and added a bigger amount would be paid if he succeeded in pinning down the tycoon.

Gonzalez, on the other hand, said he has an idea where the allegation of Lacson came from.

But he stressed that it would now be impossible for him to meddle in the case since it was already filed in court.

“The younger brother (of the businessman) talked to me and I only told them the case is with the Sandiganbayan and not with PCGG. I have nothing to do with that since it’s with court already and I never interfered,” he explained.

Gonzalez recalled dismissing another request of the brother of the businessman to help him in the dismissal of the case filed against a bank owned by the family pending before the Makati prosecutor’s office.

“He asked me to help but I told him that I do not meddle in cases pending in fiscals,” he said.

Gonzalez recalled telling the businessman to talk with Prosecutor Feliciano Aspi.

“You can ask him if I ever tried to talk to him regarding the case,” he said.

Gonzalez, now appointed chief presidential legal counsel, said he knew the sibling of the tycoon when he was still a congressman of Iloilo.

He said the sibling was working for his brother businessman as public relations handler before the two parted ways.

Lacson said his alleged deal with Malacañang on the Dacer-Corbito murder case was not the reason behind the ouster of Gonzalez, but rather the latter’s blunder in dealing with the return of former police officer Cezar Mancao II and his meddling in the case of a powerful business tycoon close to Malacañang.

Lacson, who is being linked to the killings of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000, denied entering into any agreement with Malacañang to ease up on prosecuting him on the case.

He said the deal would be worse than “signing a pact with the devil.”

Lacson called on Gonzalez to stop blaming him for his ouster from the DOJ.

He said Gonzalez had displeased Malacañang by talking too much about the Dacer-Corbito case and for interfering in the case of the business tycoon.

Malacañang, however, brushed aside the allegations surrounding the removal of Gonzalez from the DOJ.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said President Arroyo appointed Gonzalez as her presidential legal counsel precisely to allow the former Justice chief lesser workload due to his fragile health.

“Whether we like or not, even Secretary Gonzalez admits, everyone knows that he is no longer in the thick of health... so the President said this was the right time (to transfer him),” he said.

Remonde also dared Lacson to present evidence to back up his allegations against Gonzalez.

Remonde stressed Mrs. Arroyo has trust and confidence in Gonzalez.

“The fact that he (Gonzalez) is appointed still to a very important and sensitive post with a cabinet level rank as Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, that means he has still the trust and confidence of the President,” Remonde said.

“He (Gonzalez) is still an official member of the Cabinet,” he said. – With Paolo Romero