MANILA – A Department of Justice (DOJ) official said Thursday the government has recovered more than PHP316 million in restitution in connection with the cases arising from the ghost flood control projects.
At a press briefing, acting DOJ Secretary Fredderick Vida said PHP316 million have been returned to the government by state witnesses Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara, PHP181 million; DPWH Regional Director Gerard Opulencia, PHP80 million; DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, PHP35 million; and government contractor Sally Santos, PHP20 million.
“Sila po ay nakikipagtulungan sa Department of Justice para po mapalakas ‘yung ating mga kaso laban doon sa ating gustong habulin (They are helping the DOJ to strengthen our cases against those we want to run after),” Vida said.
DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Ty said the government expects to recover PHP1.5 billion from four state witnesses as restitution of ill-gotten wealth they may have received as kickbacks in the ghost project contracts.
“Ang estimate doon sa apat, lalampas sa PHP1.5 billion (It is estimated that the total money they committed to return will reach more than PHP1.5 billion),” Ty said.
Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon said two former DPWH assistant district engineers, Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza, were not accepted as state witnesses in the meantime.
“Sa ngayon wala kaming nakikitang pangangailangan para sila ay i-discharge namin, at least, tungkol dito sa mga kaso kung saan sila ay lumalapit para matanggap bilang testigo estado (At the moment, we see no need to have them discharged as state witnesses in the cases where they applied as state witnesses),” Fadullon said. (PNA)