Pia calls Palace probe of bribery in ZTE deal 'a sham'

Senator Pia S. Cayetano on Thursday said there's enough reason to believe that the so-called "discreet investigation" initiated by the Office of the President on bribery allegations in connection with the ZTE agreement were all a sham because the probe may not have happened at all.

Cayetano's interpellation of top executive officials at the joint panel investigating the ZTE agreement the other day yielded that not a single one of them was asked or consulted about the investigation.

This included former economic planning secretary Romulo Neri himself who testified before the panel of reporting the P200-million bribery attempt by Comelec Chair Benjamin Abalos to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

When asked by Cayetano how come the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) was not consulted for such a very serious matter involving his department, Secretary Leandro Mendoza said, "Well, I read it in the papers. That the investigation was discreet.  When you says it's a discreet, people are not called to testify."

Also grilled by Cayetano, Neri admitted that he was not aware of the investigation and that he read only about it in the papers.

Neri said he has no knowledge in the "investigating team nor have I been (investigated)."

The lady senator then conducted a 'roll call' of other officials present if they were familiar or were part of an investigation.

Aside from Neri, and Mendoza, Cayetano also asked the same question to Chairman Abalos, Finance Undersecretary Roberto Tan, former Chairman of Commission on Information and Communications Technology Ramon Sales, Associate Secretary of Telecommunications Office Atty Lorenzo Formoso III, and even Iloilo Vice Governor Rolex Suplico, and Amsterdam Holdings Inc. Chair Jose "Joey" De Venecia, and Journalist Jarius Bondoc who made the expose on the ZTE deal-- but all answered in the negative.

"No ma'am. But my first instinct as a journalist is to ask for a copy, and I don't have it," Bondoc said.

"And would anyone here know who was investigated or know of anyone who participated or was included in this so-called discreet investigation or so discreet that we have no reason to verify this discreet investigation?" Cayetano told the guests, asking anyone who had information about the Palace probe to raise his hand.

"So none. I take that the silence means consent, or that no one know about this," she said, after seeing that not a single hand was raised.

"For all intents and purposes this so-called 'discreet' investigation was so 'discreet' that it may not have happened at all," she then concluded.