IAGCC seeks paper trail vs lawmakers in pork scam
By David Dizon, ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 08/27/2013 10:52 AM | Updated as of 08/27/2013 10:59 AM
MANILA - The Inter-Agency Graft Coordinating Council (IAGCC) is bent on uncovering a possible paper trail that will link lawmakers to the anomalous release of priority development assistance funds (PDAF) to fake non-government organizations.
In a press conference, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, who is heading the council, said her office is tapping the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Anti-Money Laundering Council to help in the investigation on the misuse of the PDAF.
She said the SEC has already responded and complied with the request to provide information "respecting the corporations allegedly involved in the alleged scam." News reports earlier said businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles formed at least 20 fake non-government organizations to act as conduits of lawmakers' PDAF.
Morales said her office is also asking for documents from the AMLC and the Department of Budget and Management particularly on the release of PDAF to the implementing agencies.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the IAGCC investigation is interested in rooting out the paper trail that will show how lawmakers benefited from the PDAF scam.
"Ang magiging basehan or standards or benchmarks sa pag file ng kaso on the first batch of cases is 1) personal knowledge of the whistleblowers and other witnesses and 2) which cases have enough documentary support," she said.
She said various teams from the National Bureau of Investigation are collating documents from the Commission on Audit and AMLC including copies of letter-endorsements endorsing the fake NGOs, documents to the implementing agencies and the special allotment release orders (SAROs).
She said the DOJ is particulary interested in the fund transfers and releases from the DBM to the implementing agencies to the NGOs, to Napoles and to the lawmakers.
The justice chief also confirmed that the cases to be filed before the Ombudsman will include lawmakers. She declined to say which lawmakers will be sued.
"Yung mga ifa-file na kaso ng NBI mayroon na hong isasama na mga lawmakers, depende sa makakalap na ebidensya ngayon. Mga documentary support na lang po ang in-o-organize ng NBI para makapagfile na ng kaso. It will include already some lawmakers," she said.
Morales said she has asked the Commission on Audit for important documents that could be used in the case "but we were told that the documents involved more than a roomful so we need to strategize the case so we can file a case or two or three depending on the complexity of the issues."
She said it is the NBI and the whistleblowers that will file the case before her office, which will then undergo either further fact-finding or the conduct of the preliminary investigation.
The Ombudsman denied that the investigation is meant to put pressure on lawmakers not allied with the Aquino administration.
"We don't have any record of being tools of anybody - to spare this fellow or spare that fellow or make it hard for the other fellow. So we assure you of the credibility fo the result of the investigation. There is no such thing as kaalyado ng administration at di kaalyado ng administration," she said.
She also denied that the IAGCC probe is being conducted in response to the Million People March against the pork barrel.
The Malacañang website said the IAGCC is a voluntary alliance of agencies of the government that will " formulate and develop concerted techniques and strategies in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of graft cases."
It was established, initially, through a memorandum of agreement executed on June 11, 1997 by heads of agencies and gained official recognition through Administrative Order No. 79, dated July 28, 1999.
The IAGCC is composed of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, Secretary of Justice Leila de Lima, and Commission on Audit Chairperson Grace Pulido-Tan.
In a press conference, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, who is heading the council, said her office is tapping the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Anti-Money Laundering Council to help in the investigation on the misuse of the PDAF.
She said the SEC has already responded and complied with the request to provide information "respecting the corporations allegedly involved in the alleged scam." News reports earlier said businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles formed at least 20 fake non-government organizations to act as conduits of lawmakers' PDAF.
Morales said her office is also asking for documents from the AMLC and the Department of Budget and Management particularly on the release of PDAF to the implementing agencies.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the IAGCC investigation is interested in rooting out the paper trail that will show how lawmakers benefited from the PDAF scam.
"Ang magiging basehan or standards or benchmarks sa pag file ng kaso on the first batch of cases is 1) personal knowledge of the whistleblowers and other witnesses and 2) which cases have enough documentary support," she said.
She said various teams from the National Bureau of Investigation are collating documents from the Commission on Audit and AMLC including copies of letter-endorsements endorsing the fake NGOs, documents to the implementing agencies and the special allotment release orders (SAROs).
She said the DOJ is particulary interested in the fund transfers and releases from the DBM to the implementing agencies to the NGOs, to Napoles and to the lawmakers.
The justice chief also confirmed that the cases to be filed before the Ombudsman will include lawmakers. She declined to say which lawmakers will be sued.
"Yung mga ifa-file na kaso ng NBI mayroon na hong isasama na mga lawmakers, depende sa makakalap na ebidensya ngayon. Mga documentary support na lang po ang in-o-organize ng NBI para makapagfile na ng kaso. It will include already some lawmakers," she said.
Morales said she has asked the Commission on Audit for important documents that could be used in the case "but we were told that the documents involved more than a roomful so we need to strategize the case so we can file a case or two or three depending on the complexity of the issues."
She said it is the NBI and the whistleblowers that will file the case before her office, which will then undergo either further fact-finding or the conduct of the preliminary investigation.
The Ombudsman denied that the investigation is meant to put pressure on lawmakers not allied with the Aquino administration.
"We don't have any record of being tools of anybody - to spare this fellow or spare that fellow or make it hard for the other fellow. So we assure you of the credibility fo the result of the investigation. There is no such thing as kaalyado ng administration at di kaalyado ng administration," she said.
She also denied that the IAGCC probe is being conducted in response to the Million People March against the pork barrel.
The Malacañang website said the IAGCC is a voluntary alliance of agencies of the government that will " formulate and develop concerted techniques and strategies in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of graft cases."
It was established, initially, through a memorandum of agreement executed on June 11, 1997 by heads of agencies and gained official recognition through Administrative Order No. 79, dated July 28, 1999.
The IAGCC is composed of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, Secretary of Justice Leila de Lima, and Commission on Audit Chairperson Grace Pulido-Tan.
No comments:
Post a Comment