Michael Yang's elusive business associate is Pharmally's financial manager
MANILA, Philippines — Senate blue ribbon chairman Richard Gordon on Tuesday bared that the elusive Lin Wei Xiong, a business associate of former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang, is the financial manager of the embattled Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.
Lin, who is married to congressional candidate Rose Nono Lin and has been accused of involvement with the drug trade, has yet to appear before the Senate panel despite summonses issued as far back as September.
The blue ribbon has so far held 17 hearings on the government's anomalous pandemic deals, the lion's share of which were awarded to Pharmally when it was still a new and undercapitalized firm.
A secretary's certificate issued by Pharmally corporate secretary Mohit Dargani on May 22, 2020, names Lin as the firm's financial manager.
The certificate was one of several documents submitted by the Bureau of Internal Revenue to the Senate panel. They were declassified upon the motion of Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and presented by Gordon during a hearing on Tuesday.
Asked to explain this, Pharmally chairman Huang Tzu Yen and Dargani claimed that Lin's role as financial manager was to act as guarantor to suppliers on Michael Yang's behalf.
"For the purpose of returning and safeguarding that guarantee that we will pay back once [a] collection is made, yes, he was appointed financial manager," Huang said, referring to Lin.
This undercuts Yang's claim that he is not involved with the embattled firm. Executives of Pharmally have maintained that Yang acted as their financier and guarantor to suppliers.
Dargani and Huang were evasive when Gordon asked who from Pharmally's board nominated Lin as the firm's financial manager.
Who is Lin Wei Xiong?
Rose Nono Lin previously described her husband to the Senate as a Chinese businessman who conducts business with other Chinese nationals in the Philippines including Michael Yang.
Yang has downplayed his relationship with Lin, but the latter's wife told senators on November 4 that the two are "business partners." They are also pictured attending several events with other government officials together, including a 2017 meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte and Pharmally executives in Davao City.
Former anti-drug cop Eduardo Acierto in an intel report claimed that both Yang and Lin are linked to the illegal drug trade. In the report, he said Lin also goes by the name "Allan Lim."
Lin's wife claims he is not the Allan Lim referenced in the report. Senators and Acierto, however, believe otherwise. Yang has also denied any involvement with the illegal drug trade.
Lin is currently in Dubai, according to his wife. He has begged off attending Senate hearings since he was first summoned in September.
Ahead of Tuesday's hearing, he told blue ribbon staff that he contracted COVID-19 for the second time in Dubai.
Lin's wife has drawn controversy in his absence. During a blue ribbon hearing held last month, Rose Lin appeared caught off guard when asked to explain how she and her husband managed to purchase luxury cars.
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She said she simply found the Lexus LX450D — with an estimated cost of P8.8 million — in her garage one day. She gave the same explanation when asked about the other cars in her possession: a 2019 Toyota Alphard worth P3.9 million, a 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser worth P4.8 million and a Land Rover worth P11.9 million.
Rose Lin has since launched a campaign to represent Quezon City's 5th district in the House of Representatives. She was previously an executive of Pharmally Biological Corp., a firm which she said has no ties with Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.
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