THE Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has arrested the alleged brains behind a scam where victims were being duped into paying big amounts of money in exchange for appointment to government positions or high-value government contracts.
In a press conference Tuesday, February 14, 2023, CIDG Director Brigadier General Romeo Caramat said Edward Diokno Eje, also known as Vaughn Vincent, was arrested on Monday afternoon, February 13, following a heated altercation that resulted in him pointing a gun at a motorcycle rider in Taguig City.
It was later found that his firearm was unlicensed.
CIDG National Capital Region (NCR) Director Colonel Hansel Marantan said Eje’s arrest was coincidental, noting that they have already been alerted about his illegal activities over the past two weeks.
Caramat said Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission head Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz brought to them eight complainants against a man posing as a ranking Malacañang official with close ties with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio.
During the conduct of investigation, the complainants positively identified Eje as the person whom they paid in exchange for getting a juicy government post.
The complainants went to Malacañang on January 27 as told by Eje supposedly to take their respective oaths of office that will be administered by Marcos himself.
Upon arrival, they were told that there was no such schedule and appointments.
The positions offered to them were an ambassadorial post to the Netherlands, transportation assistant secretary, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority board member, Clark International Airport Corporation president and chief executive officer, Early Childhood Care and Development Council executive director and vice chairperson, Clark Development Corp. director and Port of Batangas manager.
“Bumibilib ‘yung mga taong kausap niya dahil he pose himself as a very important person dahil kapag nakipagkita siya, he go inside a 5-star hotel to eat and dine with the people na bibiktimahin niya ang parang may mga PSG (Presidential Security Group) pa siya who is wearing a barong na may logo ng Malacañang,” said Cruz.
(The people he talks to are impressed because he poses himself as a very important person because when he meets people, he goes inside a 5-star hotel to eat and dine with the people he will victimize, and he even has a sort of PSG (Presidential Security Group) who are wearing a barong with the Malacañang logo.)
Caramat said Eje received around P1 million to P300 million from his victims in the appointment for sale scheme.
He said Eje also offered assistance in order to get high-value government projects with guaranteed high return of investments and among his victims were television personalities Rosana Roces and Gwen Garci.
Roces said she and her business partner, an engineer from Cebu, shelled out a total of P18.5 million for a supposed government project in Parañaque City.
"We gave P15 million worth money through a check and we also gave P3.5 million as grease money for the local officials. I thought that my business partner was also involved in the scam but I later found that he was also a victim," said Roces.
Roces said that supposedly, they were already earning P5 million a month since September.
Garci, for her part, said she and two of her friends paid P1 million each as investment to a business involving horse racing.
She said she was convinced that the investment was legitimate since Eje was claiming that he is a close friend of Vice President Duterte and her brother, Representative Paolo Duterte.
Eje would use his victims, especially the TV personalities, as a front to dupe more targets to give him money in exchange for bogus government contracts.
Initially, charges over illegal possession of firearms were filed against Eje. Other charges against him are still being prepared. (SunStar Philippines)