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Senate
Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. suggested
yesterday that senators may ask Hong Kong Bourse
authorities to delist Zhong Xing Telecommunication
Equipment (ZTE) if its representatives in Manila
continue to ignore Senate summons to shed light on
allegations the company bribed administration officials
with multimillion-dollar kickbacks to bag the
$329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal.
At the
same time, Sen. Richard Gordon asked Senate probers to
seek the assistance of Hong Kong regulators in going
after ZTE officials involved in misusing the money of
Hong Kong investors in the publicly listed company by
engaging in wrongdoings in the Philippines.
“We know
that China is trying to live up to the rule of law and
is not likely to sweep the alleged ZTE bribery case
under the rug,” Gordon said, adding “it behooves the
Chinese authorities to get ZTE on carpet to explain
whether the things alleged to have been committed by
company officials in Manila really happened.”
Pimentel
told the BusinessMirror that the senators should force
the issue on the appearance of ZTE officials at the
ongoing Senate inquiry into the NBN deal by issuing a
subpoena to the firm’s chairman Fu Yong and Fan Yang,
the commercial attaché of the Chinese Embassy in Manila.
“If they
refuse to appear, the Senate can cite them for contempt,
hold Yong and ask China to recall Yang,” he said.
This
developed as Gordon also reiterated his recommendation
at the Senate NBN hearing to have the Chinese government
reveal other bribery instances involving millions of
dollars.
Gordon
made a motion the other day asking the Senate
blue-ribbon committee to request the Department of
Foreign Affairs to issue formal requests for the Chinese
government to reveal other instances where Filipino
government officials had asked for or received bribe
money in connection with multimillion-dollar projects.
“We
should be reminded of the real standard that whether one
steals $1 or $130 million from the government, it is
still stealing, and we must send a strong signal to the
Chinese government that we do not tolerate corruption on
whatever scale. We cannot allow the calloused
consciences and black greed of some of our government
officials to succeed in signing off our people to penury
while they gorge themselves in luxury,” Gordon added.
He asked
Sen. Allan Cayetano, the blue-ribbon committee chairman,
to communicate formally with the Chinese Embassy to find
out if one of their corporations, a
government-controlled company, has offered or
transferred money to high Filipino officials—including
officials of constitutional bodies like the Commission
on Elections.”
Gordon
pointed out that in corruption cases, “there is a
bribe-giver and a bribe-taker.”
He noted
that testimonies aired by witness Rodolfo Lozada Jr. at
the Senate hearings indicated that “at least $2 million
had been advanced by China’s ZTE to [former Comelec
chairman Benjamin] Abalos].”
“The
bribe-giver is often regarded in usual circumstances as
the victim, especially if the bribe-taker does not
deliver the goods. The Chinese government, who is our
country’s friend and partner in development, should be
able to help us find out the veracity of the incident.
This will help their state company to recover money that
was spirited away from them and help us bring erring
officials to justice.” |
