|
Manila: The Philippines' Supreme Court blocked the Senate yesterday from compelling a senior government official to testify in an inquiry into a multi-million dollar kickbacks scandal.
The 9-6 decision by the court upheld the right of Romulo Neri, a former economic planning chief, to invoke executive privilege and refuse to tell the Senate about a conversation with President Gloria Arroyo on a telecoms deal.
The court ruling appears to be a major victory for Arroyo, who has called the inquiry by the opposition-dominated Senate a witch-hunt.
Witnesses have told the Senate that about $130 million (Dh477) was paid in kickbacks in the $329 million deal with China's ZTE Corp to build a broadband network linking government offices across the Philippines.
Both Arroyo and her husband have been named in the inquiry, but no proof has been offered. The president has denied any wrongdoing.
But senators said they would appeal against the Supreme Court ruling and also noted they were not blocked from recalling Neri.
"The Senate will not allow interference in purely legislative matters by other branches of government," said Senator Francis Pangilinan. "We will not allow this legal setback to prevent us from seeking the truth. This is a temporary setback and we intend to correct and remedy the situation by legally asserting our prerogative as a co-equal."
Aquilino Pimentel, leader of the opposition bloc in the Senate, called the Supreme Court ruling a "terrible decision," and said it could "really emasculate the Senate's investigative function."
But Joker Arroyo, a pro-government senator, said: "The decision upholding executive privilege is as it should be, an exercise of judicial statesmanship to maintain the delicate balance of power between the executive and the legislative, without which we would have a never-ending tug-of-war between the president and the Senate."
$25m dispute: Singapore rejects plea for Marcos funds
Singapore's highest court has blocked an appeal by the Philippine government to reclaim $25 million (Dh91m) in assets allegedly amassed by former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, court documents showed yesterday.
The funds, currently held in Singapore, have rival claimants including victims of human rights abuses, the court documents showed. The Court of Appeal upheld a High Court decision that the Philippines government must prove it owns the assets in the face of rival claims.
The funds, which are part of about $658 million that Marcos held in various Swiss bank accounts, are held in a Singapore branch of Germany's WestLB.
|
