Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Thursday said that there are efforts from the camp of Sen. Mark Villar to set up a meeting, but added that he has yet to respond, saying that his preference for all official communications and proceedings to be handled ‘transparently, officially, across the board.’
‘I still don’t have a response, as I’d rather everything be done through official channels. This ensures it’s handled transparently, officially, and consistently across the board, leaving no room for accusations,’ Remulla told reporters.
Remulla said there is a necessity to thoroughly review documents related to whatever issues the senator’s camp wants to discuss.
‘We have to get all the records.You know we have a lot of work here, and we have to deal with each one of them carefully,’ Remulla said, stressing the need to exercise due diligence.
Remulla earlier stated that a preliminary probe is being conducted into Villar’s connection to the P18 billion infrastructure contracts awarded by the government to his cousin.
Villar already denied his link to the P18 billion contract.
‘Let me be unequivocal: I have no direct or indirect ownership or controlling interest in any company participating in DPWH projects. The official record will confirm that none of my relatives acquired any contracts from 2016 to 2021, during my tenure as Secretary,’ the senator said.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) continues its investigation into the anomalous flood control projects.
On Thursday, DPWH engineer Henry Alcantara returned to the DOJ for further interview.