BINAY
Former Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr. pleaded not guilty to graft, malversation and falsification of public documents charges over the overpriced Makati car park building.
Binay attended his conditional arraignment before the Sandiganbayan Third Division for the court to assume jurisdiction over him in considering his travel motion.
“Not guilty,” Binay Jr. said after the clerk of court read his six counts of falsification of public documents, four counts of graft, and one count of malversation over the alleged rigged procurement and overpricing of the P2.2 billion Makati car park building.
Binay Jr. asked the court’s approval for him to travel abroad from Aug. 14 to 24 for the medical consultation of his six-year-old daughter in the United States.
During the hearing, Binay Jr.’s lawyer Francias Paul Baclay said his client is appealing to the court to travel abroad to accompany his daughter Ken-Ken while she submits to a medical consultation for an uncommon ailment brought about by the child’s premature birth.
He said Ken-Ken’s pediatrician Dr. Irma Makalinao recommended another doctor, Dr. Ricardo Tan, a known allergist and immunologist based in the United States.