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Bistek’s co-accused plead not guilty to graft charge over P16-M project

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Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News

<h3>Arraignment set in January pending resolution of motion for reconsideration</h3>MANILA — Two co-accused of former Quezon City Mayor Herbert “Bistek” Bautista pleaded “not guilty” Tuesday to a graft charge before the Sandiganbayan over the purchase of a P16-million hospital information system.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Aldrin Cuña, former Quezon City chief administrator, and Alberto Morales, CEO and chairman of Geodata Solutions, plead “not guilty” to graft charge over the purchase of a P16M hospital information system. Co-accused ex-Mayor Herbert Bautista’s arraignment set on Jan. 22, 2024. <a href="https://t.co/ptH2kW9o03">pic.twitter.com/ptH2kW9o03</a>— Mike Navallo (@mikenavallo) <a href="https://twitter.com/mikenavallo/status/1729412036717879744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2023</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Aldrin Cuña, former Quezon City chief administrator, and Alberto Morales, CEO and chairman of Geodata Solutions, Inc. (Geodata) are accused of conspiring with Bautista in the purchase of a hospital information system for a hospital in Quezon City in June 2019 worth P16,295,300.Bautista entered into a supply and delivery agreement with Geodata allegedly without any authority from the city council and without an ordinance appropriating funds for the purchase with Cuña supposedly signing an acceptance document even if there was no complete delivery of the system.Bautista and Cuña, as public officials, allegedly acted with evident bad faith, manifest partiality or with gross inexcusable negligence, giving undue advantage to Morales’ Geodata and causing injury to the government.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/12/23/herbert-bautista-faces-graft-raps-over-p57-m-projects">Ex-QC mayor Herbert Bautista faces graft raps over P57 million worth of projects</a></li></ul>Bautista had sought to quash the criminal charge but the Sandiganbayan First Division denied it.He filed a motion for reconsideration, that’s why his arraignment was deferred to January 22, 2024 at 1:30 pm.Cuña’s lawyer initially joined the motion to defer his arraignment but Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Efren de la Cruz, First Division chair, reminded him that Cuña needs to be arraigned first before the court could act on his motion to travel.Cuña asked the court for permission to travel to Taiwan with his family for the holidays.The prosecution challenged his motion claiming he is a flight risk but Cuña cited the travel authority issued by the Department of National Defense and his position as executive vice president of the National Defense College.De la Cruz, in open court, and Associate Justice Geraldine Faith Econg, joining virtually, granted Cuña’s motion to travel but doubled the amount of the travel bond to P200,000. De la Cruz warned Cuña that if he does not return, he will be deemed to have waived his right to be present and he will be tried in absentia. With their arraignment, Cuña and Morales’ preliminary conference is set on January 17, 2024 while their pre-trial is set on January 22, 2024 at 2 pm.Bautista is facing 2 other graft charges before the Sandiganbayan — one is a P32-million graft charge for the purchase of an online occupational permitting and tracking system and the other is a P25.3-million graft case for the supply and installation of a solar power system and waterproofing works for QC’s Civic Center Building.

Bautista entered into a supply and delivery agreement with Geodata allegedly without any authority from the city council.

Bistek’s co-accused plead not guilty to graft charge over P16-M project

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Bistek’s co-accused plead not guilty to graft charge over P16-M project

Mike Navallo,

ABS-CBN News

Published November 28, 2023 04:59 PM PHT

Read More:

Sandiganbayan

anti graft court

Bistek

Herbert Bautista

Aldrin Cuña

ANC

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