Sandiganbayan denies Binays’ motion to quash graft case over Makati building project

By Charmaine A. Tadalan
The Sandiganbayan fifth division denied former Vice President Jejomar C. Binay, Sr. and former Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay, Jr.’s motions to quash cases filed against them over the P1.3-billion Makati Science building.
In separate resolutions promulgated on June 18, the anti-graft court dismissed their motion to junk their graft and falsification of document cases for the lack of merit.
As stated in the resolution, the Sandiganbayan said the elder Binay “has not shown any defect or infirmity apparent on the faces of Information.”
The case stemmed from the construction of the Makati Science building project, which was divided into six phases from 2008 to 2013. The project was awarded to Hilmarc’s Construction for a net cost P1.33 billion.
The Office of the Ombudsman noted this was made possible through the “falsification of bidding documents, suppression of information to prospective bidders, and undue haste in the award of the contracts.”
The investigators also uncovered Invitations to Bid in phases 1, 2, 4, and 5 were fake.
Aside from the Makati Science Building anomaly, the two are also facing pending cases in connection to the Makati carpark project.