Arroyo eyed as witness vs Neri in NBN-ZTE case

Former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will appear in the hearing on the botched multimillion-dollar national broadband network (NBN) project to testify against one of her officials implicated in the supposed anomaly. A report in GMA News’ “Saksi" on Monday quoted Assistant Special Prosecutor III John Turalba as saying that Arroyo will be called in to testify against Romulo Neri, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director general during her term. Neri is facing graft charges for his alleged involvement in the $329-million NBN deal that the Arroyo government entered — and later canceled — with China’s Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE) Corp. in 2007. Arroyo will be asked to discuss the authority Neri exercised over the allegedly overpriced project, Turalba said.

He said under the law, Arroyo cannot refuse to testify or comply with the court order. Arroyo’s spokesperson, Elena Bautista-Horn, declined to comment, saying they have yet to receive the invitation. The Office of the Ombudsman last April recommended the filing of graft charges against Neri and former Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos for their alleged involvement in the national broadband network deal. Abalos allegedly offered Neri a P200-million bribe so that NEDA will endorse the ZTE Corp. bid. The Ombudsman affirmed the recommendation late last May. In July, Neri pleaded not guilty to the graft charges. Abalos had likewise denied involvement in the supposed anomaly. - KBK, GMANews.TV