Junjun Binay arraigned, pleads not guilty of rapsFormer Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin ‘Junjun’ S. Binay yesterday pleaded not guilty to all 11 counts of graft (four counts), falsification of public documents (six counts), and malversation (one count) before the Sandiganbayan Third Division after he accepted the court’s conditional arraignment. Meanwhile, Binay also asked the court to allow him to travel to the United States from August 14 to 24 this year for personal and medical reasons. Binay was slapped with eight criminal charges just this February (two graft counts and six for falsification of public documents), and the new charges against him this July include two more counts of graft and one count of malversation. These are all in connection with the overpriced Makati City Hall Building II contracts, which Binay and his father, former vice president Jejomar C. Binay, together with other Makati City officials, reportedly manipulated in favor of Hilmarc’s Construction Corporation and MANA Architecture and Interior Design Co.Binay paid a total bail bond of P100,000 while his father, who is facing nine counts of falsification of public documents, one count of malversation, and four counts of graft, paid P360,000.

Source: Manila Bulletin August 08, 2016 13:52 UTC