Jojo, Junjun Binay walk free from Makati building corruption case

Former vice president Jejomar Binay and his son ex-Makati mayor Junjun Binay walked free from corruption charges after the Sandiganbayan ruled on Friday that the “prosecution failed to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.”

The case pertains to the construction of the P2.2 billion Makati City Hall II or carpark building in 2008, during the time the ex-VP was still Makati mayor.

The Binays and their co-accused were slapped with multiple counts for graft, malversation of public funds, and falsification of public documents.

Graft investigators earlier flagged the project, citing irregularities in the bidding process and alleging that the carpark was overpriced.

In 2016, the Ombudsman indicted the father and son, along with their co-accused former Makati City officials and personnel of the construction firm Hilmarc’s Construction Company and project designer Mana Architecture and Interior Design, among others. 

The Ombudsman said the Binays circumvented mandatory public bidding and manipulated the process to ensure the awarding of the project contract to Hilmarc and Mana.

Hilmarc managed to secure the contract for the four phases of the project, being the sole bidder, as the Makati officials allegedly did not comply with the required public posting of bid invitations.

The first three phases of the car park were constructed under the watch of senior Binay, while Jujun oversaw the last two phases.

The Ombudsman found that the construction was pushed through despite the absence of an approved budget appropriation, project plan, and specifications.

Aside from the Binays, their co-accused were also aquitted of the charges.