‘Key witness’ Gregorio faces contempt, detention over failure to attend Senate probe

For failing to attend the Senate hearing on the alleged overpricing in the construction of the Makati City Hall Building II and other corruption allegations, Laureano Gregorio, believed to be a key witness in the alleged ill-gotten wealth of Vice President Jejomar Binay, may be held in contempt and face detention.

At the resumption of the hearing on Thursday, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said he wants Gregorio to be held in contempt.

 

“Mr. Gregorio is an essential resource person. If he will not submit a show cause order, I will move that he will be held in contempt and order detention,” Trillanes said.

 

Gregorio is supposedly the owner of the property in Rosario, Batangas before it was bought by businessman Antonio Tiu and his company Sunchamp Real Estate Development Corporation.

 

Binay's critics have tagged both Gregorio and Tiu as dummies of the Vice President. Both Binay and Tiu have denied the allegations.
 

Gregorio was first linked to Binay in 1995 when the then-mayor of Makati sold his shares in Agri-Fortuna, Inc. to the businessman. The Vice President then sold his piggery in Rosario farm to Agri-Fortuna in 2010.

 

Documents obtained by GMA News Research earlier showed that Gregorio is the owner of Agri-Fortuna, which has a registered address in ALPAP 1 Building in Makati City with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

The subcommittee, chaired by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, has issued subpoena against Gregorio and other resource persons.

 

Trillanes also moved that the subcommittee compel those absent to explain their absence, among them  Commission on Audit auditors, Makati officials and other officials of the alleged dummy corporations of Binay.

 

The subcommittee needs to raise the issue of holding a person in contempt before the mother committee, which will decide on it. — RSJ/KBK, GMA News