Huang denies power, influence in government
MANILA— The chairman of the controversial Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp said Tuesday he did the initial research about a flight that the Dargani siblings could take to be able to leave the country, but did not pursue it.
Documents showed by Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee, indicated that a Yenson Huang inquired about a chartered flight, and was then handed over to a certain Morris Daniel.
The flight cost $50,000, booked by Business Beyond Limits and ROX Trading through Daniel, according to the paper obtained by the Senate panel.
Business Beyond Limits is a company linked to Pharmally. ROX Trading, meanwhile, is not registered with the SEC, senators found out.
"As I have said, I researched initially for Mr. Mohit Dargani but I did not follow after. I was not the one who booked the flight. I did not pay for the flight. And so, I don't know," Huang Tzu Yen said at the continuation of the Senate's probe on Pharmally over its transactions with government since last year.
"Yes, Mr. Yenson Huang is me. I did research," the Pharmally chair added.
Daniel maybe an "invented" name by Dargani, Huang said, noting that he handed the information to him.
Dargani, Pharmally's corporate secretary and treasurer, said Morris Daniel is the point person referred to him by a certain Gary Wong, the person he earlier said who booked the flight.
Wong, he had said, is a businessman from Singapore. This is a person he only met once, he added.
"I also don't know Morris Daniel. I just got his information from Gary Wong, and I asked Mr. Wong to have Morris Daniel be the point person," he explained.
"I just spoke to him through WhatsApp... There's an introduction that I was referred by Gary Wong to get in touch with you, etc."
Gordon questioned Huang why there was a need of the flight given that there is an ongoing investigation regarding Pharmally's pandemic deals.
Huang said the flight was meant to help Dargani's family. Authorities arrested Mohit and his sister Twinkle, the firm's president, in Davao City last month while about to take the Malaysia-bound flight.
The Darganis were earlier cited in contempt and were ordered detained at the Senate premises after their refusal to hand over crucial documents to the Blue Ribbon Committee.
HUANG DENIES GOVERNMENT TIES
Huang, meanwhile, denied that Pharmally has power and influence over the government as he asserted that they only wanted to do business.
He said this could be illustrated by the fact that three of their officers — the Darganis and Pharmally director Linconn Ong — are currently in Senate custody.
"I don't think that we have that kind of influence that you are insinuating... What influence and power are you talking about? I don't see any, from any point of view," he said.
"We are not connected to the government. We are just trying to make projects and we overreached."
Senators have noted that at least P11 billion in supply deals have been bagged by Pharmally from the Department of Budget and Management's Procurement Service (PS-DBM) since last year.
This even as the private company only had a paid-up capital of only P625,000.
The government denies there was overpricing and said the deals were above board, as alleged by some senators.
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee will resume its investigation on Jan. 13.
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