A Makati court has ordered the arrest of an executive of the local unit of Japanese conglomerate Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. for alleged perjury that nearly resulted in the collapse of a small Filipino trading company.
Court records showed Makati City metropolitan trial court branch 63 presiding judge Alberto Azarcon III issued a warrant of arrest against Jose Jacinto Aquino, the associate finance director of Otsuka (Philippines) Pharmaceutical Inc.
The Makati court scheduled the arraignment on March 17, 2016, after Aquino posted a cash bond of P6,000.
The Makati City prosecutor’s office earlier indicted Aquino for alleged perjury, after his alleged “false” statements under sworn affidavit almost led to the garnishment of the properties of the Filipino trading company.
The trading company is the former exclusive distributor in the Philippines of ‘Pocari Sweat,’ a healthy drink imported and supplied in the country by Otsuka. Aquino had sworn that the trading company failed to pay for the goods delivered by Otsuka Philippines, a claim that was strongly denied by the trading company.
The trading company then filed a perjury case against Aquino for claiming that it stopped paying for the goods delivered by Otsuka.
Aquino’s affidavit, made before Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 57, prompted the court to issue a writ of preliminary attachment against the assets of the trading company in May 2015.
The former distributor of ‘Pocari Sweat’ said it did not stop paying for the goods even after the agreement had expired as evidenced by official receipts issued to Otsuka from October 28, 2013 to November 10, 2014 in the total amount of P26.218 million.
The trading company said the false statement by Aquino was also authorized by the whole board of Otsuka Philippines, based on a certificate signed by Ma. Carmen D. Babista-Lazaro, corporate secretary of Otsuka Philippines in February 2015.
In her certificate, Babista-Lazaro said the board of directors of Otsuka Philippines held a special meeting on Feb, 13, 2015, wherein the board of directors authorized Aquino to file a complaint with application for the issuance of a writ of attachment against MDI.
An amended general information sheet shows that the current board of directors of Otsuka Philippines includes Leopoldo T. Dimerin as chairman; and Yoshinobu Nishida (based in Osaka), Jose Jacinto M. Aquino, Mikio Bando and Sinichi Suzuki as members.
