The Sandiganbayan threw out the graft complaint filed against former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director General Romulo Neri in 2010 in connection with the botched $329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal for lack of evidence.
“We find the evidence of the prosecution insufficient to sustain the charges or justify a verdict of guilt. The prosecution failed to discharge the burden of proving that accused Neri violated Section 3(h) of R.A. 3019 by proof beyond reasonable doubt for its failure to satisfactorily establish that accused had financial or pecuniary interest, directly or indirectly, in the subject NBN-ZTE deal,” the court’s special division said in a 40-page decision promulgated on September 9.
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