Lawyer identifies alleged rice import scam brains | Inquirer News

Lawyer identifies alleged rice import scam brains

/ 08:07 PM January 15, 2014

MANILA, Philippines – An activist lawyer has identified the alleged bagman “Buddy R” who was accused of pocketing kickbacks from the government’s rice importation program.

Lawyer Argee Guevarra said in an Inquirer Radio 990 AM interview that Buddy R’s name is one Alfredo Roa, a former customs broker.

“He was involved from start to finish in the negotiations of exchange of kickbacks for the Vietnamese rice importation last April,” Guevarra said in the report, referring to an April 2013 deal between the Philippines and Vietnam.

Article continues after this advertisement

The leader of militant group Sanlakas, Guevarra earlier said a certain “Buddy R” cornered contracts within the agriculture department for rice importation while delivering kickbacks to officials involved in the deals.

FEATURED STORIES

He earlier told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that Buddy R received kickbacks from the importation last November of 500,000 metric tons of rice that were overpriced by up to P400 million.

The November rice importation was supposed to augment the decline in rice production after Yolanda, the world’s strongest typhoon that made landfall in the Philippines last November.

Article continues after this advertisement

“The transaction was stampeded using the catastrophe that was inflicted by Yolanda to our rice stocks,” Guevarra said.

Article continues after this advertisement

The Sanlakas official went on to say that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) should go after Roa as the real brains of a rice importation scam, not David Tan, believed to be a rice smuggling kingpin who allegedly built a network of smugglers and paid off customs employees with cash gifts worth P6 billion.

Article continues after this advertisement

“This David Tan character is a figment of (Agriculture secretary Proceso) Alcala’s imagination,” Guevarra said.

In a Philippine Daily Inquirer report, Guevarra earlier identified three more smuggling operators – a certain David Lim from Cebu, Jojo Soliman from Binondo, and another woman known among officials as the Janet Lim-Napoles of the agriculture department.

Article continues after this advertisement

Related stories

NBI says it has proof Davidson Bangayan, ‘David Tan’ are one 

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

Alcala glad ‘David Tan’ has surfaced to answer rice smuggling raps

TAGS: Nation, News

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.