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By William B. Depasupil, Reporter
A Department of Justice panel
tasked to conduct a fact-finding probe on the allegations of bribery
and corruption in the botched P330-million national broadband deal
has asked for 30-day extension to complete its job, after it failed
to meet its deadline.
Justice Undersecretary Ernesto Pineda, head of the five-man
fact-finding team, explained that they needed more time to dissect
the issue and the additional information they have gathered on the
case.
The Pineda panel was supposed to
submit the results of its fact-finding investigation last March 19.
Pineda explained that the panel
has yet to tackle the allegations of corruption hurled by Philippine
Forest Corp. officer-in-charge Erwin Santos against his former boss,
Rodolfo Lozada Jr., the Senate’s star witness in the broadband
scandal.
The panel has also been agonizing
on the refusal of several other witnesses, including former
socio-economic planning Secretary Romulo Neri, to appear before the
fact-finding body.
Earlier, Justice Undersecretary
Vicente Salazar, a panel member, was quoted as saying that charges
may be filed against Neri and Lozada for “infidelity in the
custody of public documents.”
But Justice Secretary Raul
Gonzalez had clarified that Salazar’s statement was the latter’s
personal opinion, and does not yet reflect the position of the
Pineda panel.
Panel still wants Neri
to testify
According to Pineda, while the panel had gathered enough
evidence to reach a conclusion, it wants to invite Neri to the
investigation.
Neri had testified before the
Senate last year that former Commission on Election Chairman
Benjamin Abalos offered him a P200-million bribe to push the deal.
The former socio-economic
planning chief has since refused to answer further questions,
invoking executive privilege. He even filed a petition before the
Supreme Court questioning the Senate’s right to compel his
presence in its legislative inquiries.
The High Court is expected to
issue a ruling on Neri’s petition this week. Earlier, Pineda also
said that the Justice department panel needs subpoena powers to get
its job done the soonest.
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