(Eagle News)– Former Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) general manager Al Vitangcol III has posted a P60,000 bail following an order from the Sandiganbayan directing his arrest over his alleged attempt to extort $30 million from Czech railcar supplier Inekon Group.
Vitangcol also described as “baseless” these new graft cases filed against him by Office of the Ombudsman over this alleged extort try.
“Alam naman po natin na ang mga kasong ito ay gawa-gawa lamang. Wala pong basehan,” Vitangcol said.
The extortion try allegedly happened at the residence of then-Czech Ambassador to the Philippines Josef Rychtar in Forbes Park, Makati.
The former MRT official posted bail Thursday (December 1) for two counts of violation of Section 3(b) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Vitangcol cast doubt on the timing of the filing of graft cases because it happened shortly after he wrote a column last November 19 about a Department of Justice (DOJ) decision ordering the filing of charges for estafa against the car plates manufacturer, missing the officials of Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).
“Kasisiwalat ko lang po ng isang anomalya sa DOTC… Sabi ko [sa column] bakit ito lang car plate manufacturer ang kinasuhan at hindi kinasuhan ang mga opisyal ng DOTC kasama si dating Sec. Abaya?” he said.
Aside from the extortion attempt, the Ombudsman said Vitangcol urged the businessmen to enter into a joint venture agreement with “a group of persons” including his alleged envoy and co-accused, Wilson de Vera, for the MRT-3’s service contract.
Vitangcol has accused the Czech ambassador Rychtar of lying. Rychtar was the one who exposed Vitangcol’s alleged extortion attempt on Inekon officials.
“Yang ambassador [Rychtar] na yan ay sinungaling po yan. Matagal ko na pong sinasabi na pawang kasinungalingan ang sinasabi niya,” he told reporters.