EDITORIAL - Serious accusations

The Czech ambassador and the chairman of one of the biggest companies in his country have accused the general manager of the Metro Rail Transit of extorting $30 million in exchange for a supply contract. MRT 3 head Al Vitangcol III has denied the accusations, hurled openly by Ambassador Josef Rychtar.

One of them is lying, but the public can’t tell which one. Vitangcol took a brief leave from his post but quickly returned after the Department of Transportation and Communications, which conducted its own administrative probe, said he had to be cleared in the absence of a formal complaint from the Czechs.

Rychtar, who apparently believes he cannot get a fair shake from the DOTC, has instead talked to the Department of Foreign Affairs and submitted an unsigned statement to the National Bureau of Investigation. The ambassador has not been declared persona non grata for an accusation that, if hurled against officials of the Arroyo administration, would have likely led to swift indictments.

Instead, a year after Rychtar first openly complained about the alleged shakedown, the NBI has yet to submit its report on the case to the Department of Justice.

Meanwhile, a businessman who was accused of directly asking for the $30 million from Czech firm Inekon over dinner in July 2012 at Rychtar’s Forbes Park residence has admitted attending the dinner but not the shakedown. Wilson de Vera, a member of the ruling Liberal Party, also denied fleeing to the United States where he is currently staying, stressing that he is a US green card holder. This raises questions on his citizenship when he ran under the LP and lost for mayor of Calasiao, Pangasinan last year.

Ambassadors are trained in diplomacy and do not toss accusations lightly against officials of a host country, especially if it involves a serious offense. Vitangcol, for his part, like any accused deserves the benefit of the doubt. If he is innocent, the sooner this case is resolved, the easier it will be for him to get on with his life.

Resolving this case should also lead to better service on the MRT, which has been the subject of numerous protests from dissatisfied commuters. The system needs more trains to cope with the ever-growing number of commuters, as one Palace official pointed out. Even without accusations of large-scale corruption, the MRT clearly needs a better manager. President Aquino has fired other officials ASAP for much less. His administration’s handling of the MRT mess is stoking criticism that there are two types of justice along his straight path.