The Sandiganbayan’s Sixth Division stood pat on its ruling denying the appeal of former Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) general manager Al Vitangcol 3rd to dismiss the graft charges filed against him last year. The Manila Times’ Chairman Emeritus Dante Ang was the first to report about the meetings held between Inekon officials and Vitangcol, who left office in 2014. In its complaint, the Ombudsman said Vitangcol, through De Vera, attempted to extort money from Inekon representatives. The Inekon representatives turned down the alleged demand for $30 million, which was reduced to $2.5 million, which was likewise turned down. Also, the Ombudsman alleged that Vitangcol urged Inekon representatives to forge a joint venture agreement for the maintenance service of MRT3 with a group including De Vera for a 60-40 percent sharing agreement.

Source: Manila Times May 10, 2017 12:45 UTC