P23-B Malampaya case to be filed next week

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima. RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Friday said the National Bureau of Investigation would be filing cases in connection with the P23-billion Malampaya Fund scandal next week.

The P23-billion figure concerns the total fund releases from the Malampaya Fund to 12 agencies, including the province of Palawan, between 2006 and 2010.

The figure was first mentioned by Tan in a June 27, 2011, memorandum on the Commission on Audit (COA) audit of releases from the fund for the four-year period.

She said funds were released by the Department of Budget and Management directly to the different national and local agencies for various programs and projects.

Last week, COA Chair Grace Pulido-Tan announced that the COA’s findings were “explosive” and that the agency would be releasing its report on the Malampaya Fund audit next month.

De Lima told reporters that the filing of the case in the Ombudsman set this week was delayed because the NBI and justice department officials were preoccupied with the Senate blue ribbon committee investigation into the P10-billion pork barrel scam.

And now she said their attention has been again claimed by the bail hearing of alleged pork scam queen Janet Lim-Napoles on the illegal detention filed against Napoles involving whistle-blower Benhur Luy.

The Malampaya Fund scam and the illegal detention cases are being handled by one NBI team of investigators while the pork scam is being handled by a bigger team, De Lima said.

“They (NBI Malampaya investigators) told me that they had to refocus, to divert their attention in the other preparations. They can’t make it (file the Malampaya case) this week so we’re moving it to next week,” the justice secretary explained. Jerome Aning

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