Mike, Gloria linked to overpriced ZTE deal

November 10, 2007  --  Got something to say?
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MANILA - Businessman Jose Joey de Venecia III has told Senate probers that First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and President Gloria Arroyo herself stood to gain $70 million if the aborted $329 million broadband deal with the Chinese ZTE Corp. pushed through.

The Senate resumed its investigation into the cancelled NBN-ZTE project Oct. 25.

The First Gentleman was invited but he declined, citing doctors orders not to place himself in a stressful situation.
De Venecia said it was not only the First Gentleman who packaged the deal because President Arroyo herself directed then former NEDA director general Romulo Neri to approve the contract.

De Venecia has said the First Gentleman served as a backer for former Elections chair Benjamin Abalos, the alleged broker of the deal with ZTE.

He said Neri was seriously considering resigning from his post as NEDA director-general when the President directed him to approve the ZTE contract.

Neri, during a previous hearing, told senators that he informed the President about the P200 million offer by Abalos for him to approve the contract and that the President directed him to decline the bribe.

This time, De Venecia said that Neri told him that when he informed the President about the offer, Mrs. Arroyo told him, Bakit hindi mo tinanggap?

Secretary Neris response to that was, Maam, hindi po ako ganoong klaseng tao,” De Venecia said.
It was only at this point that the President said that huwag mong tanggapin pero i-approve mo ang project,” he said.
The First Gentleman, in a statement, said the timing of De Venecias revelations is highly suspect because he gave contrary statements in an earlier Senate hearing.

He said De Venecia, in his previous statements, said President Arroyo was not involved in the ZTE deal and that De Venecias only accusation against him was that he told him to back off. Mr. Arroyo said De Venecia?s claims are not only hearsay, but double hearsay. He asked why the businessman did not make such a disclosure in his first testimony.
Obviously, this is a continuing fairy tale he makes up as he goes along. His endless inconsistencies clearly indicate only one thing: complete falsehood,” he said.

Neri branded as totally untrue De Venecias statement that President Arroyo asked him why he did not accept the bribe from Abalos.

In a text message to Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, Neri said: She (Arroyo) told me not to accept it. I stand by what I said in the Senate.

Joey is imagining things or remembers things as to what he wishes would have happened. Im now in Hong Kong.”
With the latest bombshell dropped by the Speakers son, during the resumption of the investigation in the chamber, Senate probers are bent on establishing the facts behind this claim, with or without the cooperation of those involved as there are those already being eyed to be tapped to validate or disprove claims.

Appearing in the fifth joint public hearing by the Senate blue ribbon, trade and commerce and national defense and security committees, De Venecia III, pinned down Mrs. Arroyo twice during interrogation by Lawmakers, first intimating Mrs. Arroyos involvement in attempting to pay off former Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri and second, in purportedly trying to twist the arm of his father, Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and prevail on him to stop his son from exposing this.

De Venecia III debunked previous claims by Neri on the supposed failed P200 million bribe made by resigned Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos, Sr., claiming there were some undisclosed facts, such as the President initially asking why the former Neda chief thumbed down the offer before telling him to not accept it.
He also claimed Mrs. Arroyo allegedly gave marching orders to Neri in having the proposed project approved.

De Venecia III also revealed for the first time a $70 million purported take on the deal of Mr. Arroyo, as his previous testimony in mentioning the name of the presidential spouse did not carry any amount except that of supposedly being in collusion with Abalos to have him to back off from the deal.

When he testified here, he claimed that the President told him not to accept the bribe but that statement, based on my conversation with him is not entirely complete,” he said in disclosing to senators that Neri long before his appearance in the upper chamber, had informed him that he had reported to Mrs. Arroyo the attempted bribery of Abalos.

When Neri told the President that Abalos offered him P200 million, the President responded: why did you not accept it? Neris response to that was, Maam, I am not that kind of person.” It was only at this point that the President said: dont accept it but approve the project.” And secretary (Neri) told me also that at that time, he was seriously thinking of resigning his post, he said.

Malacaang issued a faxed statement denying De Venecia llls claims, saying he was imagining things. It also released a statement of Neri who is in Hong Kong denying Joeys claim.

Newspaper columnist Jarius Bondoc who is also privy to the alleged conversation between Neri and Mrs. Arroyo said Neris statements to him were not as detailed as De Venecia III, yet attesting that indeed, the former Neda chief mentioned to him a purported order by the Chief Executive to work on the approval, just the same.

In the course of writing about this story and attending the hearings, I found out that Mr. Neri confided the same incident to Rep. Ronnie Zamora over lunch and to ABS-CBN news anchor Ricky Carandang, Bondoc said.


Posted by News Team | Filed Under Philippine News 

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