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Manila: President Gloria Arroyo's husband yesterday filed his testimony before the Office of the Ombudsman on the controversial $329-million (Dh1.2 billion) ZTE telecommunications deal with China.
Jose Miguel "Mike"submitted his arguments on the controversial agreement following the graft case involving him. The agreement was cancelled by the middle of last year.
Lawyer Ernesto Francisco argued in the petition against Mike that the investigation is necessary in order to clarify certain issues surrounding the controversial government-to-government deal between the Philippines and China. According to a television report, after hearing Francisco's arguments, the panel appointed Ombudsman Emilio Gonzales III as the new panel head.
Records
The panel also said it has requested the Senate for the records of its investigation. The Ombudsman heard Mike Arroyo's oral arguments on why he should not be included in the investigations.
The hearing had also called Education Secretary Romulo Neri, businessman Jose de Venecia III and former Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos for the hearing.
Neri had declined to attend yesterday's hearing while Abalos is on a trip abroad. Abalos said he had travel to the US as had won as a prize in a golf gam. He reasoned that the prize would be forfeited if he had not used the ticket. De Venecia III, son of former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr, had implicated the presidential spouse and Abalos in the case.
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