The Sandiganbayan Sixth Division has denied the motion of the prosecution to allow former Czech Ambassador to the Philippines and current Ambassador to Chile Josef Rychtar and Inekon board chairman Josef Husek to testify via real time video conferencing.
The two were supposed to testify in the case involving former Metro Rail Transit Line 3 general manager Al Vitangcol III who allegedly tried to extort $30 million from Inekon, a Czech supplier of train coaches.
The anti-graft court junked the appeal of the prosecution for “lack of merit.”
The Sandiganbayan said both Rychtar and Husek must testify in open court as mandated by Section 1, Rule 132 of the Rules of Court.
Similarly, the anti-graft court said the e-mails which supposedly proved the prosecution's failure to arrange the return of the two Czech nationals to the Philippines were not presented in court.
“Neither did the prosecution show how the aforementioned reasons render Mr. Husek and Amb. Rychtar absolutely incapable of coming to the Philippines to give their respective testimonies,” the Sandiganbayan said.