No stopping bribe probe

By: Miguel R. Camus, TJ Burgonio - 11 years ago

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO and Photo from https://dotc-mrt3.weebly.com/

Malaca帽ang will not block a House investigation of charges that an administration ally tried to extort $30 million from a Czech train builder, a Palace official said on Saturday.

鈥淭he House is free to conduct its own investigation in aid of legislation on the matter,鈥� deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said by text message when asked about House members鈥� plan to question Wilson de Vera, a member of President Benigno Aquino III鈥檚 Liberal Party and alleged 鈥渆nvoy鈥� of Metro Rail Transit (MRT) general manager Al Vitangcol III to the Czech company Inekon Group.

Valte also denied that the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) ignored the charges against Vitangcol and De Vera.

Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares and Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco have asked the House committee on good government and public accountability to summon De Vera and compel him to explain the allegations of Czech Republic Ambassador to the Philippines Josef Rychtar and Inekon CEO and chair Josef Husek that he demanded $30 million on behalf of Vitangcol in exchange for a contract for 48 train cars for MRT 21 months ago.

Valte did not respond to the question of whether Malaca帽ang would order Vitangcol and De Vera to face the House investigators.

In a radio interview, she rejected the observation that the scandal has tarnished the image of the Aquino administration, which came to power in 2010 promising good government.

She said the observation was wrong because President Aquino himself ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to look into the allegations of Rychtar and Husek.

NBI probe finished

Secretary Leila de Lima said on Friday that the NBI had completed the investigation and was just reviewing the findings.

鈥淚t [would] have tarnished [the image of the administration] if there [had been no] investigation,鈥� Valte said on state radio dzRB.

鈥淏ut it was clear from the start, when this came out, [that] President Aquino ordered that proper attention be given to these claims,鈥� she said.

She did not say, however, what the DoTC did to deal with the alleged attempt at extortion that happened when the agency was still headed by Manuel Roxas II. Roxas is now President Aquino鈥檚 secretary of the interior and local government.

DoTC probe

Roxas鈥� successor, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, said on Saturday that the DoTC opened an administrative investigation into the allegations last year with the help of independent railway consultant Barry Gardner.

Vitangcol, who had denied the allegations, went on leave to give way to the investigation, which started at the height of the scandal in July last year.

The role of Gardner in the investigation was to determine whether the auction for the MRT coach contract was rigged in favor of any group, Abaya said.

No evidence of rigging was found and Vitangcol was eventually cleared of wrongdoing, enabling him to return to work.

But the investigators failed to question De Vera, Abaya said.

鈥淲e tried to invite him to the administrative investigation but we weren鈥檛 able to get in touch with him,鈥� Abaya said in a text message.

He said the DOTC, too, was keen on determining the truth about the allegations involving Vitangcol and De Vera may be able to give investigators the information they needed.

鈥淲e would be very interested in what he would say,鈥� Abaya said.

鈥淲e are also hoping that the NBI [has] gotten in touch with him, because the criminal investigation is with them,鈥� he said.

Vitangcol鈥檚鈥榚nvoy鈥�

Colmenares and Tiangco said on Friday that De Vera was 鈥渆ssential鈥� to a face-off between Rychtar and Vitangcol in the controversy.

De Vera could provide crucial testimony at the inquiry because he was the alleged go-between of Vitangcol to Inekon, they said.

In an affidavit that he submitted to the NBI, Rychtar said De Vera behaved like he was an 鈥渆nvoy鈥� of Vitangcol at an official dinner and he was straightforward, suggesting Inekon pay $30 million to secure the contract for train cars.

In an affidavit submitted to the House, Husek said he and Rychtar first met with the MRT group composed of Vitangcol, De Vera and Manolo Maralit on July 9, 2012, over dinner at Carpaccio restaurant in Makati City. He said they agreed to another meeting in Rychtar鈥檚 residence the next day.

In that meeting, which Vitangcol skipped, De Vera suggested that Inekon could win the contract for the train cars if it paid $30 million 鈥渢o an unknown entity.鈥�

Husek said he was shocked, as Inekon did not expect 鈥渢his way of doing business.鈥�

He said he and Rychtar rejected the demand, making De Vera withdraw to consult someone by mobile phone.

Demand reduced

After that consultation, De Vera lowered the demand to $2.5 million, Husek said, adding that he and Rychtar rejected the proposal.

The following day, Husek鈥檚 group met with Vitangcol at the MRT chief鈥檚 office. There, Husek said, Vitangcol not only pressed De Vera鈥檚 proposal but also offered a 60-40 joint venture between Inekon and individuals picked by Vitangcol who would assume MRT鈥檚 maintenance contract.

Husek said Inekon rejected both offers. 鈥淭his made Mr. Vitangcol apparently upset and in a few minutes we left his office without any follow-up on the negotiations,鈥� he said.

Husek said that hours later Rychtar received a text message from Maralit informing him that Vitangcol and De Vera were furious about Inekon鈥檚 rejection of their 鈥渟uggestions鈥� and advising him that MRT 鈥渨ould never do any business with Inekon Group in the future.鈥�

In October 2012, MRT鈥檚 maintenance contract with Sumitomo expired, and this was transferred to CB&T and PH Trams, which includes De Vera as one of its incorporators. Rychtar said in one interview that Maralit was 鈥減art鈥� of PH Trams.

In March 2012, the DoTC bid out a contract for the purchase of 48 new MRT coaches, which was eventually won by China鈥檚 CNR Dalian Locomotive & Rolling Stock.

Rychtar said Inekon did not take part in the bidding because the terms were 鈥渘ot objective and the price and terms of delivery unrealistic.鈥�

Bidding fraud

Later, Rychtar said he received two sets of 鈥渨hite paper鈥� that described in 鈥減recise terms a fraud organized for the new coach bidding by persons from the private sector as well as from state institutions鈥� and the 鈥渢echnical parameters of the scam inside the Terms of Reference of the Bidding.鈥�

The allegations prompted the DoTC administrative review, complicating the postqualification process for the Chinese company, which was declared the only eligible bidder for the P3.77-billion MRT capacity expansion on June 11 last year. Dalian was eventually declared the winner of the bidding early this year.

黑料社