Alleged extortionist Wilson De Vera denies accusation in affidavit

The director of PH Trams has formally denied his involvement in an alleged attempt at extortion over the Metro Rail Transit expansion project.

In an affidavit executed in the US last year, De Vera denied Czech Ambassador to the Philippines Josef Rychtar's statement that he asked $30 million from Czech firm Inekon Group in exchange for securing the contract to supply coaches for the MRT, according to a report on GMA's “24-Oras” aired Thursday.

He said he only met with Inekon officers in July 9, 2012 because he wanted to be a local partner for the project. According to De Vera's affidavit, Inekon was asking for $3 million per coach. He also said they told him to mark up the price by $50,000 per coach.

He denied any conversations involving bribes to secure the contract.



Meanwhile, Roehl Bacar, owner of CB&T corporation and De Vera's former business partner, also denied Rychtar's allegation that he has connections in the government.

“If I am highly connected why would I be disqualified in the bidding when I bidded alone in the one-year maintenance contract?” Bacar asked.

A joint venture between Bacar's and De Vera's companies eventually managed to secure the six-month maintenance project which was worth $1.1 billion.

But their joint venture did not last since De Vera failed to buy spare parts for the MRT even if he was provided the funds, the report said.

He said that the ambassador's allegations have damaged the credibility of his company.

For his part, MRT-3 General Manager Al Vitangcol III denied anew all allegations against him.

Vitangcol said he did not meet with Rychtar and other officials of the Inekon group who is implicating him in the MRT extortion.

“Ang tahasan kong masasabi diyan, hindi ako nagpunta sa bahay nitong si ambassador Rychtar, di ako nakipag-dinner sa kanya at wala kaming pinag-usapan dahil wala ako doon. Kung ano man ang napag-usapan nila ni Wilson De Vera, eh, wala akong alam doon,” Vitangcol explained in an interview on "Bawal ang Pasaway kay Mareng Winnie".

But he admitted that he met with Rychtar a few times in his office when the diplomat handed him some project proposals. Vitangcol said these meetings were all “purely professional.”

“Ito ay lumang issue na. Dalawang taon na ang nakararaan na palaging pinapa-ulit ulit, ito ay puro kasinungalingan lang ito,” Vitangcol said.

According to a separate report on "24 Oras", Rychtar has yet to respond to an invitation from the Office of the Ombudsman to meet about his allegations of extortion. — Andrei Medina/JDS, GMA News