MANILA, Philippines -- The controversial former comptroller of the Philippine National Police is now free to return home as Russian customs officials cleared his departure after he showed them proof he was legally entrusted custody of a large amount of euros as a ?contingency fund? for a six-day overseas trip by a PNP delegation.

Retired Director Eliseo Dela Paz is due home soon after Moscow customs agents accepted his explanation for carrying euros many times over the $3,000 outbound limit on his way out of the city on October 11, an official said Saturday.

Director Jaime Caringal, the PNP?s Zamboanga Peninsula regional director, confirmed by phone from Moscow that Dela Paz, himself and their wives were free to go.

He would not say exactly when they were due home as the group was still booking a flight.

?Basta pauwi na kami (We?re going home),? Caringal said repeatedly without giving a date.

?They were very, very satisfied,? said Caringal of the Russian authorities. He said he was with Dela Paz during the noontime meeting with local customs agents in Moscow on Friday.

The official said they had been issued new visas to replace the ones that expired on October 11, the same day they were supposed to leave Russia.

Dela Paz and Caringal were part of an eight-member delegation of the PNP top brass that took part in the 77th Interpol General Assembly in St. Petersburg from October 7 to 10. Dela Paz was, however, barred from leaving after customs agents found him in possession of cash in excess of the outbound limit.

While the rest of the delegation went their own way, Caringal stayed with Dela Paz, a batch-mate in the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1976, as officials of the Philippine embassy in Moscow and those back in Manila prepared documents as evidence that the officials' euros came from legal sources.

Dela Paz, who was entrusted with the equivalent of P6.93 million in cash as ?contingency fund? for the PNP trip, presented the documents to Russian customs agents at 12 noon Friday (Moscow time). The papers included a travel authority and proof of legitimate foreign currency exchange.

?They called us up to go to their office. We had a lawyer-interpreter, a Russian brod in the Masons (the Freemasonry, the international fraternity) who helped in interpreting from English to Russian and Russian to English,? Caringal said.

?It took less than an hour. What took time was typing [Dela Paz's statement],? he continued.

Officials back in Manila had explained that the PNP group was given the multi-million contingency fund to cover unexpected expenses.

The National Police Commission, the approving office for official travels, however said PNP declared the disbursement of P2.3 million, only a third of the amount that Dela Paz was said to have carried in cash all the way from Manila.

News of the Moscow incident set off a chain reaction from oversight agencies, among them the Senate, the Ombudsman, and the Napolcom, which have all announced plans to investigate.