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Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Police to sue 'euro general', 3 others
MANILA -- Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Jesus Verzosa ordered the filing of criminal charges against former police comptroller Eliseo dela Paz and three other police officials over unauthorized release of funds.
Dela Paz was held last October 11 at the Moscow airport for not declaring the 105,000 euros or P6.9 million he was carrying. It was later found out that the money was disbursed to dela Paz without the authority of the PNP chief.
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In a press conference in Camp Crame, Verzosa said he has directed the PNP's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to coordinate with the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) why dela Paz did not declare to Naia authorities the cash he had with him in his overseas trip.
Verzosa said charges will also be pursued against three other ranking police officers for the unauthorized release of the funds.
"I have directed the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to file appropriate charges against police Director dela Paz, Chief Superintendent Orlando Pestano, Senior Superintendent Tomas Rentoy, and Superintendent Samuel Rodriguez for the unauthorized release of P7-million from the PNP confidential/intelligence funds," he said.
The PNP has said the authorized cash advance for dela Paz and seven other delegates to the 77th International Police assembly in St. Petersburg is only P2.1 million.
Pestano is the chief of the PNP Finance Service, Rentoy is chief of the budget division, directorate for comptrollership, and Rodriguez is the disbursing officer for directorate for intelligence.
Verzosa, in an earlier letter submitted to the Senate, said the P6.9 million cash advance given to dela Paz came from the PNP's intelligence fund allocated for the purchase of intelligence equipment.
Dela Paz processed the P6.930 million cash advance from PNP's intelligence fund before Verzosa took over the top PNP post on September 27.
"Likewise, I directed the CIDG, in coordination with Naia authorities, to file appropriate charges before the Office of the Ombudsman against police Director dela Paz for violation of Section 36 of Republic Act 7653 or the New Central Bank Act for failure to declare the 105,000 euros he brought out of the country when he traveled to Russia," said the PNP chief.
According to Verzosa, he has ordered the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management to supervise the ongoing activities of a Technical Working Group that was tasked to review, update, and consolidate all PNP rules and regulations pertaining to foreign travel to attend official functions; and the existing rules on release, payment, and disbursement of PNP funds for official travel.
Also, Verzosa said he has instructed the Directorate for Intelligence to continue coordinating with the Russian Embassy on the status of the 105,000 euros confiscated from dela Paz, and to officially inform the PNP of the investigation conducted on dela Paz or any other member of the PNP delegation who went to Russia.
"I also directed the Directorate for Comptrollership to review and update existing fiscal directives and SOP (standard operating procedure) to establish more efficient procedures in the release of authorized funds to preclude the practice of cash advances... All these actions are aimed at improving our internal procedure in the PNP, particularly on the release of funds for similar purposes," he said.
Verzosa made the orders as the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management concluded its investigation into the case. He said the results of the probe would be submitted to the Senate committee on foreign relations and the National Police Commission (Napolcom).
The Senate committee is conducting an inquiry into the so-called "euro generals" scandal.
"Today, we are submitting to the Senate committee on foreign relations and to the National Police Commission the initial result of the PNP fact-finding investigation into the incident in Russia involving some senior police officials," said Verzosa.
"Based on the findings of the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management, there is reasonable basis to file criminal as well as administrative charges against concerned police officers, particularly those involved in the funding, release, and disbursement of funds used in the official mission of the PNP delegation to the 77th Interpol General Assembly held in Russia," he said.
Verzosa also said that based on the recommendation of the investigation, he has ordered all the PNP officers who attended the 77th Interpol conference in Russia to submit individual liquidation reports of the P274,070 cash advance that each of them received or totaling P2.192-million.
Malacañang at the same is leaving to Verzosa and Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno on whether the PNP chief would take a leave of absence.
Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said: "He (Puno) will take care of that."
"President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the rest of the executive branch are now focused on getting more trade and investments in China. We leave the matter about the PNP for the proper agency to handle," he added. (VR/JMR/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cebu. (October 28, 2008 issue)
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