In what is quickly turning out to be the biggest corruption and bribery case against president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Jose “Joey” de Venecia III, told Senate that Mike Arroyo, husband of GMA, was the one who threatened him to back off in the bidding for the multi-million dollar National Broadband Network (NBN) Project, after refusing COMELEC Chairman Benjamin Abalos’s USD10 million bribe in December 2006.
In his affidavit JDV III said that in the reconciliatory meeting in mid-March this year at the exclusive Wack Wack Country Gulf Club the First Gentleman Mike Arroyo cut short the meeting by pointing a scolding finger two inches against JDV III’s face and shouted “BACK OFF!!”
JDV III is beneficiary and partner of the Amsterdam Holdings carrier of various multi-interests companies including Information Technology companies which submitted their unsolicited proposal to the government’s Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) headed by former General Leandro Mendoza early December 2006.
Mid-December 2006, JDV III received an invitation from Chairman Abalos’s office where during their breakfast meeting Chairman Abalos offered JDV III USD10 million bribe to JDV III, which he flatly refused.
Subsequently at a meeting in Xiandong, China with ZTE and China’s (?) Vice President Zhou Yung in February 2007, Chairman Abalos demanded the “balance” of the initially agreed “deposit fee” or commission to ensure the project award, at this juncture ZTE Finance officer then asked Abalos what happened to the funds earlier released to him.
In April this year DOTC’s Secretary Mendoza signed along with Vice President Zhou Yung the contract awarding ZTE the USD329 Million NBN contract. This event in China was witnessed by no less than President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
The JDV III disclosures seem to imply that GMA has knowledge of the deal and took part in the effort to dispatch the awarding of the project to ZTE. The fact that husband Mike Arroyo arrogantly muscled out, in a fashion not unlike a Mafia Boss, JDV III and the Amsterdam Holdings’ proposal, gives everybody little to doubt that the Mendoza, Abalos and Arroyo clique stand to gain millions of dollars from this deal.
Moreover, the ZTE contract which initially amounted to USD262 Million was overpriced as observed by JDV III and the Amsterdam Holdings yet it came as a big surprise when the signed contract exceeded this amount by USD67 Million. It takes no genius to conclude that the “brokers” of the deal stands to gain more than a USD100 million in kickbacks.
litrato ni C-ann Reyes
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