Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr. urged the Senate blue ribbon committee to release the investigation report on the $329-million national broadband network-ZTE controversy.

Pimentel said the report is long-overdue and the public deserves to know the outcome of the lengthy probe undertaken by the joint investigating panel, composed of members of the blue ribbon committee (as lead committee), the committee on trade and commerce and committee on national defense and security.

“The report on the NBN-ZTE deal should be released as soon as possible. There is no reason to further delay its release,” he said.

“Through the report, the people will know what was wrong with this transaction and who should be held liable for any wrongdoing. The release of the report will put to rest any speculation which may put the Senate in a bad light.”

Originally, the NBN project was conceived by Malacañang to be implemented through a build-operate- transfer scheme wherein the cost will be fully shouldered by the private proponent.

Subsequently, the Palace junked the BOT option in favor of a scheme which required the government to secure a loan from the Export-Import Bank of China to finance the project.  The government awarded the project to ZTE Corporation of China.

During the series of Senate public hearings, witnesses testified on the alleged overpricing and other terms and conditions of the contract that were disadvantageous to the government. They also claimed that bribe money went to the pockets of certain public officials to secure approval of the project.

Among the key witnesses who testified at the Senate inquiry were former National Economic and Development Authority director general, former Philippine Forest Corp. president Rodolfo Lozada and engineer Dante Madriaga, who served as consultant to a business group which brokered and designed the project proposal.

Faced with the scandal, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was forced to cancel the NBN-ZTE contract.