(UPDATE) THE lawyer for former congressman Zaldy Co on Wednesday rejected as false and misleading the claims by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla that Co had amassed P5 billion in bitcoin abroad and built a multi-level basement in his residence to store cash. Ruy Rondain said in a statement Remulla’s allegations were “a complete fabrication” and challenged him to identify the supposed associate who allegedly provided the information. Rondain said Remulla could keep any bitcoin he might find registered in Co’s name. Rondain also dismissed Remulla’s claim that Co’s house in Forbes Park, Makati City, had “four to five basement levels.” He said the house was designed with a split-type basement for vehicle parking, a layout guided by Forbes Park village rules that limit the allowable building area relative to the lot size. “The split-tier basement is intended only to maximize the house’s footprint,” Rondain said, stressing that it had nothing to do with storing unaccounted cash. He also rejected speculation that the basement design was meant to safeguard money because “fire moves upward.” “The public deserves facts, not misinformation,” Rondain said, emphasizing that false narratives have no place in discussions on public issues. Remulla claimed that Co’s Forbes Park residence featured a five-story basement, reportedly designed not for vehicles but for storing large amounts of cash, as a way to circumvent banking restrictions. “All the money was supposed to be put below,” Remulla said in an interview, citing fire safety experts who allegedly confirmed that the structure was waterproof and designed to protect its contents. He also said that Co had siphoned approximately P5 billion in cryptocurrency while evading arrest in Portugal. The amount, he said, was transferred to Co by his associates.