The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The Sandiganbayan has acquitted former vice president Jejomar Binay, his son and former Makati mayor Jejomar “Junjun” Binay Jr., and several others of graft and related charges stemming from the controversial ₱2.2-billion Makati City parking building project.
In a 202-page decision promulgated Friday, the anti-graft court’s Third Division ruled that the prosecution failed to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt, clearing the Binays and their co-accused of falsification, malversation, and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019).
Also acquitted were more than a dozen Makati City officials and private contractors linked to the project. Cases against three accused — Emerito Magat, Cecilio Lim III, and Manolito Uyaco — were dismissed following their deaths during trial.
The charges, filed in 2016, stemmed from alleged overpricing in the multi-phase car park building. This follows a string of legal victories for the Binays, who were also cleared in December 2024 over the ₱1.3-billion Makati Science High School project.
The controversial school has since been placed under Taguig City’s jurisdiction, following a Supreme Court ruling that transferred certain areas of Makati to Taguig.