Newly-appointed Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Aimee Neri said that she is ready to face allegations being thrown against her by lawyer Ferdinand Topacio.
In a television interview on ANC on Friday, March 11, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said that he raised the matter with Neri and she mentioned that "that she was ready to face these charges in the proper forum."
Jimenez said that they would wait for Topacio's decision whether or not they would bring it up before the Commission on Appointments (CA).
"So I guess we'll just have to wait until that happens," he said.
Topacio told ABS-CBN news that his client, convicted drug lord Herbert Colanggo, gave Neri who was then Justice Assistant Secretary P10 million to "fix" his robbery case before the Supreme Court.
"Other than that, of course, Commissioner Neri assures the public that all of these accusations are not substantiated, and that ultimately they will be proven false," Jimenez stated.
Malacanang on Tuesday, March 8 confirmed the appointments of Saidamen Pangarungan as Comelec chairman, as well as Neri and George Garcia as commissioners.