Enough grounds to charge Pharmally execs, Lacson says

Sen. Panfilo Lacson. (Voltaire F. Domingo/Screen grab)

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo Lacson urged detained executives of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. to cooperate with the Senate probe on the alleged misuse of the government’s pandemic funds, because the inquiry has already established grounds for criminal charges, although they tried to dodge questioning by hiding in Davao City.

“There are few missing pieces, which is why the Senate blue ribbon has issued a subpoena for some documents,” Lacson said in a radio interview a day after the Senate ordered two Pharmally executives transferred to the Pasay City Jail.

On Friday, Sen. Richard Gordon, the blue ribbon committee chair, ordered Pharmally treasurer and corporate secretary Mohit Dargani and director Linconn Ong transferred to jail after they refused to submit the company’s financial records to the panel.

Dargani’s sister, Twinkle Dargani, was allowed to stay detained in the Senate because of her health.

Gordon, however, delayed the transfer of Dargani and Ong to give them a chance to disclose where Pharmally’s financial records were being kept.

Needed documents

Senate sergeant at arms Rene Samonte told reporters on Saturday that Dargani had yet to disclose where the documents were located.

“He has been mentioning three addresses: office, residence, and warehouse,” Samonte said in a Viber message.

Lacson hoped that the Pharmally executives would eventually agree to submit the documents.

“It does not have to go that far (being sent to jail), because all they have to do is to tell the truth because the facts are already out in the open,” he said.

“I know it’s tough to be in jail. I know they are not used to the kind of environment there in terms of the living conditions. There is even a concern for their security there,” Lacson added.

The senator reminded the Pharmally executives that not everyone will help them, not even in Davao City.

“We can say that their level of confidence is very high when they’re in Davao, knowing that there are people who will help them and that they are safe there,” Lacson said.

“They thought everyone would help them, but not everyone,” he said, adding that an informant from Davao in fact tipped off the Senate sergeant at arms that the Darganis were headed for Malaysia on a chartered flight.

‘Clear pattern’

Lacson noted that almost all people involved in the Pharmally scandal, particularly former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang and former Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management chief Lloyd Christopher Lao, stayed in Davao during the Senate probe.

“We let the facts speak because we can see the clear pattern. What is clear is that they have some level of confidence that they are safe there,” he said.

Lacson also rebuffed the claim of Krizle Mago, former Pharmally administrative officer, that she was pressured into admitting that company executives ordered the tampering of expiry dates on face shields sold to the government.

Lacson suspected that Mago was being intimidated by “powers that be” not to spill the truth.