Neri nixes consolidation of his graft case with GMA's

MANILA, Philippines - Former Social Security System president Romulo Neri does not want the graft case against him consolidated with that of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

In an interview with The STAR, Paul Lentejas, Neri’s lawyer, said he will object to a motion of the Office of the Ombudsman seeking to consolidate the two graft cases before the Sandiganbayan.

“The rights of my client will be violated,” he said.

“We will not take this sitting down. We will object. If the Sandiganbayan grants this, we will question it before a higher court.”

Government prosecutors have asked the anti-graft court to allow the consolidation of Neri’s case with that of Arroyo, former first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, former elections chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr., and former transportation secretary Leandro Mendoza.

Lentejas said he will object to the idea, considering that the case against Neri is already “in the advance stage of trial” with the prosecution almost finished presenting its witnesses.

“That’s absurd and illogical because in the Abalos case, he (Neri) was a principal witness,” he said.

“In fact, he even testified in the case.”

The first graft cases against Neri and Abalos for their alleged involvement in the NBN deal anomaly were filed in May 2010.

On Dec. 28, 2011, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, based on the recommendations of a special panel of investigators who conducted a reinvestigation of the transaction, filed a second graft case against Abalos along with the Arroyo couple and Mendoza.

“The consolidation of these cases is in consonance with the rationale behind the consolidation of cases, which is to promote a more expeditious and less expensive resolution of the controversy than if they were heard independently by separate divisions of the honorable Sandiganbayan,” the prosecution headed by Deputy Special Prosecutor John Turalba said.

Prosecutors said since the cases against Neri, Arroyo, Abalos, and Mendoza all involve the national broadband network (NBN) deal, the same should be tried by the same court, in this case the Fourth Division chaired by Associate Justice Gregory Ong.

The Fifth Division chaired by Associate Justice Roland Jurado will hear oral arguments on the motion on Friday next week.

Mendoza’s lawyers withdrew yesterday their motion which asked the Sandiganbayan to suspend all proceedings in relation to the graft case filed against their client pending the resolution of a motion for reconsideration that he has filed before the Office of the Ombudsman.

Since the Fourth Division has already ordered the anti-graft agency to complete the preliminary investigation by allowing all respondents to file their appeals first, Mendoza’s motion was deemed moot.