THE law firm of presidential candidate Jejomar Binay on Thursday tagged Senator Franklin Drilon, the Anti-Money Laundering Council and Philippine Daily Inquirer in a conspiracy behind the “smear campaign” against Binay in a bid to divert attention from the $81-million money-laundering scandal that was pulled off right under the Aquino administration officials’ noses.
Binay’s law firm Subido Pagente Certeza Mendoza Binay said Drilon and his party mates in the ruling Liberal Party were identified as the ones who dropped the casinos from being covered by the AMLC investigation.
In a turnaround, Drilon and the AMLC officials now want to include the casinos in the AMLA coverage.
“On its face, the smear campaign of the Philippine Daily Inquirer appears to be a malicious retaliation against the vice president and his law firm,” SPCMB partner Claro Certeza said.
“It must be recalled that the vice president, through SPCMB Law, previously instituted a P200-million libel suit against the PDI, which the Court had already ruled as having basis to proceed to trial.
“While this may still be an objective of the malicious article and extra-ordinary coverage being given to it by other media outfits, there appears to be a more sinister motive at play…. a possible cover-up to hide a scandal so big that it affects those in the current administration and its not-so- secret candidate.”
Certeza said the following undisputed facts should be considered in trying to unmask the real motive behind the latest smear campaign against Binay, the standard bearer of the United Nationalist Alliance.
First, he said, the screaming headlines of the Inquirer were published on the days that the Senate were to conduct a hearing on the $81-million money laundering case.
Second, Certeza said, the law firm that represents the chairman of the AMLC in the P200-million libel case filed by the vice president was also the same law firm representing the bank and its officials allegedly involved in the $81-million money laundering.
Certeza did not name the law firm but the Senate records during the hearing this week showed the AMLC officials were represented by the Angara Abello, Concepcion Regala and Cruz law offices.
He said a member of the AMLC, who may be held liable for being remiss in her duties on the $81-million money-laundering case, was with the same law firm.
“The Senate President [Drilon] is connected to this same law firm [ACCRA],” Certeza said in a three-page statement.
“The members of the political party of the Senate president were the ones who changed the Senate version of the AMLA to exclude the casinos [from the investigation].”
“[Deported Chinese national] Wang Bo was accused of being part of a purported bribery attempt involving members of the political party to which the Senate President belongs,” Certeza said, referring to the stories that came out in The Standard that Wang Bo allegedly paid off several lawmakers for the immediate passage of the controversial Bangsamoro Basic Law, President Benigno Aquino III’s pet peace measure, in exchange for a release order from the custody of the Bureau of Immigration.
Clearly, Certeza said, the article of the Inquirer resurrecting the issues based allegedly on a purported AMLC report, which may have been issued more than five months ago and the subject of the gag order, was a desperate attempt to mislead the public.
“Knowing the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s utter contempt for and its role in the demolition by public perception of Vice President Binay, this is not surprising anymore. Sadly, the newspaper has adopted the policy of sensationalism at the expense of truth,” he said.
“Today’s screaming headline of the PDI was but a pathetic attempt to divert and diminish public attention from the most embarrassing scandal of all—the inefficiency and ineptitude of the AMLC and the present administration to prevent the $81-million money-laundering case involving the foreign reserve funds of the government of Bangladesh.”
By allowing itself to be used as a political tool to harass and persecute those opposing the current administration, Certeza said, the AMLC ignored its mandate to address the serious money- laundering cases being brazenly committed by international crime syndicates in the Philippines.
“Aside from the $81-million embarrassment currently being investigated, the AMLC was also inutile in preventing Wang Bo from his alleged P91-billion money-laundering activities,” Certeza said.
“Worse, the inefficiency and ineptitude of the AMLC are further manifested by its utter failure to keep confidential all reports and proceedings prepared and/or initiated under the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
“AMLC allowed the Philippine Daily Inquirer to print several articles involving its dubious report that is replete with lies, half-truths, misleading statements and allegations that have since been retracted by the AMLC.”