EURO GENERAL
PNP chief denies damning report
By Marlon Ramos
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 10:15:00 11/22/2008
Filed Under: Police, Euro Generals
MANILA, Philippines—Philippine National Police chief Director General Jesus Verzosa on Friday denied news reports that he furnished the House of Representatives a report from a PNP fact-finding team which supposedly declared the controversial trip of six police generals in Russia last month as illegal.
“I had no declaration of such thing. That is not true,” Verzosa said in reply to questions posed by reporters during his visit in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.
According to news articles, the fact-finding team which Verzosa created to investigate the Moscow controversy found that the travel of retired comptroller Director Eliseo dela Paz and five other police generals violated a law restricting the foreign trips of retiring government employees.
Although Verzosa admitted sending a copy of the report to lawmakers, he said it did not contain any declaration on the legality of the travel.
The embattled PNP chief reiterated that there was nothing illegal in the attendance of the PNP delegation to the Interpol convention in St. Petersburg, saying the event was an annual conference designed to foster international cooperation on crime prevention.
“The only irregular about that trip was the disbursement made by General Dela Paz,” Verzosa said.
Asked why the disbursement of some P10 million in intelligence funds was illegal, he said: “Because it had no proper authorization.”
Verzosa likewise denied that the statement made by retired PNP chief Avelino Razon Jr. contradicted his explanation of the incident.
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