Former police comptroller Eliseo de la Paz and his wife, Maria Fe, on Thursday posted bail for P36,000 to cover a Sandiganbayan order for their arrest in a foreign currency violation charge filed against them in connection with the 2008 “euro generals” scandal.
The De la Paz couple voluntarily surrendered to the antigraft court early Thursday with their lawyer.
The court granted their request that bail for the foreign currency violation charge be reduced to P15,000 each, instead of P20,000.
De la Paz had to pay another P6,000 bail for a related case. He was charged for going on a foreign trip knowing that the date of his retirement from the service would fall during the period of travel.
The Sandiganbayan’s 5th Division found probable cause to indict the couple for failing to declare foreign currency in excess of $10,000 when they left the country with an official Philippine National Police (PNP) delegation attending an Interpol conference in Russia in 2008.
On Oct. 11, 2008, De la Paz, who was acting as the disbursing officer for the delegation that included the wives of police officials, was stopped from boarding his flight at the Moscow airport after he and his wife were found to be carrying the undeclared amount of 105,000 euros (P6.9 million).
It emerged during multiple investigations into the incident that the money had been allegedly illegally withdrawn from the PNP intelligence funds.
De la Paz is widely believed to have taken the fall for higher-ups, absolving his superior officers of any liability in the affair. He later reimbursed the amount and was subsequently cleared of any liability.
On Thursday, De la Paz and his wife asked the Sandiganbayan’s 5th Division to suspend the proceedings against them until after the Office of the Ombudsman resolves the motion for reconsideration that they had filed contesting the Ombudsman’s move to file charges against them.
They said they received the Office of the Ombudsman ruling only on July 14, and noted that they had until July 19 to file their motion for reconsideration, which they did.
Maria Fe also contended that the Office of the Ombudsman had no jurisdiction to conduct a preliminary investigation against her as she was not a government employee and was not charged with conspiring with one.
The couple have also gone to the Supreme Court to question the propriety of the Ombudsman’s conducting a preliminary investigation into the case against them.