Binay son snubs probe anew, challenges Senate panel
MANILA, Philippines - Makati City Mayor Erwin "Junjun" Binay will not again attend today's Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the Makati City Hall II parking building and will instead challenge the jurisdiction of the Senate panel.
"Panahon na para liwanagin at kwestyunin ang hurisdiksyon ng sub-committee at ng Senate Blue Ribbon committee mismo," Binay said in a televised press conference on Thursday morning.
Binay said he will send this morning his formal motion to the Senate, which had issued a subpoena compelling him to attend the hearing.
He said he will not attend the probe until his motion is resolved.
Binay and his father, Vice President Jejomar Binay, are facing a plunder complaint before the Ombudsman for allegedly benefiting from the construction of the supposedly overpriced parking building.
In the past hearings, former Makati City officials accused the elder Binay of pocketing 13 percent of each project in the city as kickbacks and of rigging public biddings to favor certain companies.
The Binays had denied the allegations and repeatedly claimed that the Senate probe was politically motivated to malign them ahead of the 2016 elections.
In his press conference, the younger Binay again criticized some senators for their demeanor during the past hearings.
"The senators prejudged me and my family," he said.
On Wednesday, the camp of the vice president detailed the wealth he amassed during his 25 years in government amid calls for a lifestyle check for officials accused of corruption. - Louis Bacani
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