MANILA, Philippines?The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered six police officials to be placed under preventive suspension for six months without pay pending the results of the investigation into their involvement in the alleged smuggling of 105,000 euros (P6.9 million) out of Russia in 2008.

Those who were placed under suspension were: special disbursing officer Samuel Rodriguez; finance service director Orlando Pestano; budget division director Tomas Rentoy III; police Superintendent Elmer Pelobello; director for human resources and doctrine development German Doria; and director for operations Silverio Alarcio Jr., all of the PNP.

The officials were earlier charged administratively by the Field Investigation Office of the Office of the Ombdusman (OMB-FIO) together with the now retired PNP officials Avelino Razon Jr., former director general; Romeo Ricardo; Emmanuel Carta; Ismael Rafanan; Jaime Caringal; and Eliseo dela Paz, the former comptroller, with grave misconduct, dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

In 2008, several police officials, led by Dela Paz, and the wife of the outgoing Philippine Director General Jesus Verzosa were accosted at the airport in Moscow, Russia, for failing to declare 105,000 euros (P6.9 million).