The Sandiganbayan on Thursday announced that it has granted former Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista permission to present a new witness in connection with his ongoing P32-million graft case.

The case lodged against him is in connection with the alleged anomalous procurement of an online occupational permitting and tracking system in 2019.

To recall, the prosecution alleged that Bautista and his co-defendant, former city administrator Aldrin Cuña, approved a P32,107,912 contract for Geodata Solutions Inc. despite the lack of a necessary appropriation ordinance.

An investigation revealed the project was incomplete when payment was made to Geodata in June 2019.

Bautista, who served three terms as mayor before being term-limited, sought to present Rommel Chavez, Geodata’s project manager, as an additional witness.