In an 86-page resolution released in December 2024, the Binay father-and-son pair were absolved from 13 formal graft and falsification accusations lodged against them.
The court also ordered a refund of their bail and lifted the hold departure order against the Binays.
"[T]he prosecution's evidence utterly failed to prove all of the charges. The presumption of innocence in favor of an accused in a criminal case is a basic constitutional guarantee," the court's decision noted.
The Ombudsman charged the former Vice President and his former mayor son in 2018 over alleged anomalies in the construction of the Makati Science Building in Barangay Cembo, formerly Makati and now Taguig City.
Allegations involved irregularities in procuring architectural and engineering services for Makati Science High School worth P17.4 million, and likewise in obtaining construction services worth P1.3 billion.
In the Sandiganbayan's ruling, it did not believe the testimonies of the witnesses as they had no personal knowledge of the case and were merely speculating about what transpired in procuring the services.
The Sandiganbayan also stated that former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV cannot be considered a witness as he attended the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing concerning this issue in his capacity as a senator.
"All the purported key witnesses for the prosecution had a critical flaw: they lacked direct, first-hand knowledge of the truth regarding the charges against all of the accused and as such, their testimonies hold no probative value and deserve scant consideration from this Court," the court added.
The Sandiganbayan further stated that the prosecution failed to prove that the Binays acted with malicious intent or negligence.
"It was incumbent upon the prosecution to prove the existence of malicious intent on the part of Binay Sr. and Binay Jr. when they affixed their signatures on the BAC resolutions," said the Sandiganbayan. "The records, however, are bereft of any proof which would show that the accused knew of the alleged falsified supporting documents or sham public bidding at the time he signed the documents."
(Photos by Marou Sarne)
