Hold Departure Order Against Binays

Sandiganbayan issued a hold departure order (HDO) against former vice president Jejomar Binay and his son, former Makati City mayor Junjun Binay, and several others accused of graft in the construction of the allegedly overpriced Makati Parking Building.

The order was issued by the anti-graft court’s Third Division on Friday, July 15 but released a copy of the order to media on Tuesday, July 19. The HDO orders the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) to prevent the twelve individuals from leaving the country. The others who are co-accused are: Marjorie De Veyra, Pio Kenneth Dasal, Lorenza Amores, Virginia Hernandez, Mario Badillo, Leonila Querijero, Raydes Pestaño, Nelia Barlis, and Cecilio Lim III, and Orlando Mateo from Mana Architecture and Interior Design, Co.

The former vice president faces charges of graft, falsification of documents, and violation of the Government Procurement Act. He was Makati Mayor during the first 3 of 5 phases of the P2.28-billion building. He recently posted bail of P376,000.

His son Junjun was charged with two counts of graft and one count of malversation. Junjun had been dismissed from office in October 2015 because of the allegedly anomalous construction of the city hall building.

Jejomar Binay’s lawyer Daniel Subido, said “a necessary consequence of the mere filing of an information in the Sandiganbayan.” He said that the HDO “has no bearing at all on the merits of the case.” “We are confident that these frivolous cases will be dismissed,” Subido added. ●