Elenita Binay acquitted, co-accused found guilty by Sandiganbayan

Former Makati mayor Elenita Binay walked free from graft and malversation charges in relation to the alleged anomalous purchase of medical equipment worth P9.9 million in 2001.

Binay escaped criminal liability after the Sandiganbayan ruled in her favor on Friday, citing the prosecution’s failure to prove her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The erstwhile mayor is the wife of former vice president Jejomar Binay. She served as mayor of Makati City from June 1998 to June 2001.

Her co-accused, ex-Makati officials Conrado Pamintuan and Jaime de los Reyes, however, were found guilty of the raps and were sentenced to up to eight years behind bars.

On top of the conviction, they were also sentenced to perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

The case, filed by the Ombudsman in 2011, pertains to the irregular procurement of cryosurgical units with volumetric pressure pumps for P9.9 million without public bidding from December 2000 to March 2001 for Ospital ng Makati.

Graft probers said the equipment was obtained from Apollo Medical Equipment and Supplies through negotiated procurement instead of the mandated public bidding.

Another red flag, the prosecution said, was that the transaction transpired notwithstanding the supplier not being registered as a medical distributor under the Food and Drug Administration.