CA justice plans to file bribery rap vs. 'Meralco emissary'
abs-cbnnews.com | 08/01/2008 1:51 PM
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A Court of Appeals (CA) justice plans to file bribery and perjury charges against a businessman allegedly brokering for the Manila Electric Corp. (Meralco) in the battle for control of the country's biggest power distributor.
In a press conference covered live by ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC), CA Justice Jose Sabio detailed his conversations and meetings with an alleged Meralco emissary, businessman Francis de Borja, to deny that he asked for a P50 million bribe to favor the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) in the battle for control of Meralco.
Sabio said it was De Borja who "kept pestering" him about the businessman's P10 million bribe offer to give up the chairmanship of the CA division that was supposed to rule on the Meralco-GSIS case.
He said De Borja even called a mutual friend, Evelyn Clavano, to try to convince him to accept the bribe offer, but he still declined.
"I can charge him with bribery, or perjury because he told a lie in a sworn statement," Sabio said.
Sabio challenged De Borja to "submit to a lie detector test to see who's telling the truth."
In a meeting between him and De Borja at the lobby of the Ateneo Law School in Makati, Sabio said De Borja told him he was ready to give him the P10 million and that Meralco chairman Manuel Lopez was allegedly waiting in a car outside when that incident happened.
Sabio said De Borja told him that Lopez was then "on his way to America."
De Borja told him that for the Lopez family, control of Meralco is a "matter of life and death" considering what the Lopezes went through during the martial law period when they lost control of Meralco.
In a statement Thursday, Lopez denied the alleged incident at the Ateneo Law School in Makati, saying he was in America on that day. He said this can be confirmed with immigration records.
Sabio said he felt insulted and hurt by De Borja's bribery attempt. "I thought he respected me," he said.
After finally being convinced that Sabio could not be bought, De Borja reportedly told Sabio, "I salute you" but "if you will not accept, we will look for other ways."
In one conversation, De Borja said "It would be a waste if you don't accept the P10 million. Your children may blame you later."
Sabio said it was the powerful law firm, Villaraza Cruz Marcelo & Angangco (CVC) law office that was allegedly behind De Borja, and that his life could be in danger due to his disclosures and his call for a review of the CA's decision favoring Meralco.
He also said he is "up against the billions of the Lopezes so I am up against everything."
But he said he would stand by his principles and that "God is behind me."
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