Binay camp: COA exec misled Senate, public

MANILA, Philippines - The camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay's wife on Friday accused Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Heidi Mendoza of misleading the public for supposedly failing to say that the findings she presented at a Senate sub-committee hearing yesterday were dismissed by the Sandiganbayan in 2011.

In a statement, lawyer Juan Carlos Mendoza said the Second Division of the Sandiganbayan issued a resolution on Apr. 7, 2011 which found out that the audit procedures adopted by the COA under Mendoza suffered from "fundamental issues of arbitrariness."

Mendoza said the Supreme Court also affirmed the Sandiganbayan resolution in 2012.

"It was expected that as a high ranking public official, Ms. Heidi Mendoza would have been candid enough to admit to the Senate that the Audit Report she was testifying on yesterday was already discredited by the Sandiganbayan," he said.

Mendoza added that this was why the case against Binay's wife, former Makati Mayor Elenita Binay, and the other members of the Bids and Awards Committee was dismissed by the anti-graft court.

On Thursday, the COA revealed to the Senate Blue Ribbon Sub-Committee that it found red flags in the construction of the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall II parking building.

Mendoza also disclosed the findings of her report in 2001 which discovered allegedly overpriced medical equipment purchased by the Makati goverment.

"With respect to the Ospital ng Makati findings, these were already assessed by the Ombudsman during preliminary investigation and in 2011, the Ombudsman cleared Dra. Binay of liability," Binay's lawyer said.

The Ombudsman, however, re-filed the case this year.

"The recent attempt to revive these cases is now subject of a Petition filed before the Supreme Court," Mendoza said.

Binay's lawyer said they intend to bring the matter of Mendoza's "irregular conduct before the proper forum."