Former Makati City mayor Elenita Binay has scored a victory in the Sandiganbayan, as the court dismissed a P21.7-million graft case filed over the alleged overpricing of furniture for the city hall in 2000. This effectively cleared her, then-general services department head Ernesto Aspillaga, other city officials, and the suppliers on grounds of insufficient evidence. This was because the prosecution merely assumed the city officials did not undertake the proper procedures. Other co-accused in the case include former city councilor Salvador Pangilinan, former city administrator Nicanor Santiago, Jr., and Asia Concept corporate officer Bernadette Aquino. Binay still faces a separate case before the Fifth Division over the purchase of furniture and fixtures worth P72.06 million from Office Gallery in 1999.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer November 03, 2016 06:24 UTC