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High Court stops Senate from arresting ZTE witness Neri
ZTE controversy timeline April 2007: Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza and ZTE Corp. Vice President Yu Yong entered into a US$ 329.5 million contract for a national broadband network (NBN) that will improve government communications capabilities. August 29, 2007: Nueva Vizcaya Rep. Carlos Padilla disclosed in a privilege speech that Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos met with ZTE officials in China weeks before April 2007, apparently to broker for the NBN project: "Apparently, Chairman Abalos' unofficial trips to China courtesy of ZTE Corporation and his golf games with the officers of ZTE Corporation can hardly be characterized as just friendly and totally innocuous. He was a man on a mission. Could the mission be the US $329 million NBN project?" Padilla said. Padilla noted that there were two other private entities which signified their intention to build the NBN for the government. The project cost in these private companies' proposals were cheaper than ZTE's. August 30, 2007: Abalos denied brokering for the National Broadband Network project despite admitting he knows some officials in ZTE Corp. He admitted making four trips to China and playing golf there, but denied reports that he lobbied for the ZTE deal in exchange for money and sex. September 5, 2007: Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. filed a resolution calling for a Senate investigation into the circumstances leading to the approval of the broadband contract with ZTE Corp. September 10, 2007: In an affidavit, Jose "Joey" De Venecia III claimed that he was with Abalos in China when the latter met with ZTE officials. He claimed he heard Abalos demand for money from the ZTE officials. Joey is a majority shareholder of Amsterdam Holdings, Inc., which lost to ZTE in the bidding for the NBN contract. He is also the son of House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. September 11, 2007: The Supreme Court en banc issued a temporary restraining order against the implementation of the controversial NBN contract between the Philippines and Chinese firm ZTE Corp. September 18, 2007: In a Senate hearing, Joey said First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo personally told him six months ago to "back off" from pursuing the multi-million dollar national broadband network project. Sources: GMA News, GMANews.tv, OP, Senate, Carlos Padilla's privilege speech, de Venecia III's affidavit- GMA News Research
The Supreme Court has issued a status quo order against the warrant of arrest slapped by the Senate on Romulo Neri, chairman of the Commission on Higher Education (Ched), radio dzBB reported Tuesday. The radio report said the high court ordered the Senate to submit within 10 days a comment on Neri's petition to stop the upper chamber from arresting the Ched chairman, believed to be a key witness to the alleged anomaly in the government's $329.48-million National Broadband Network (NBN) project. In the same order, the high tribunal set the oral arguments on Neri's petition on March 4, 1:30 p.m. Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, on Tuesday, told radio dzBB that the upper chamber "is welcoming the decision of the Supreme Court." He said the Senate "is confident that the Supreme Court will affirm the right of the Senate" to arrest Neri. On February 1, Neri field a a petition for certiorari at the Supreme Court, after 16 senators moved to have him arrested after he failed to show up in the Senate inquiries on the NBN project with China's Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment, (ZTE) Corp. Neri maintained it was his superiors in Malacañang who forbade him from attending the hearings. It was during Neri’s term as director general of the National Economic and Development Authority when NEDA reviewed the proposed NBN project. Neri said the NBN project was approved by NEDA on March 29, 2007. The project was awarded to ZTE on April 21, 2007. '200' from ZTE deal On September 26, 2007, Neri testified before the Senate that Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr earlier told him that he could expect “200" from the approval of ZTE’s contract for the NBN project. Neri said Abalos told him about what he would receive while they were riding in a golf cart at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City, sometime between January and February. Neri also testified before the Senate that he reported Abalos’s bribery attempt to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Neri said Mrs Arroyo told him, "Don’t accept it." - GMANews.TV 
