Probe set of money trail from NBP to NBI

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has ordered an investigation into the large sums of money confiscated from prominent inmates who were transferred from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) jail last month.

De Lima said on Sunday the money, found concealed in garbage bins and toilet tanks in the prisoners’ quarters, was “most probably” smuggled in during the holiday season.

About P700,000 in P1,000 and P500 bills, as well as four mobile phones, were confiscated by NBI custodians during a search last week.

De Lima described the incident as a “security lapse” and hinted that those responsible would be punished.

“I want to know when [exactly] and how it could have happened and who were involved—either or both NBI and Bureau of Corrections personnel assigned to the NBP extension and possibly even regular detainees at the NBI [jail] itself,” De Lima said in a text message to reporters.

De Lima said she had designated the NBI Anti-Organized and Transnational Crimes Division led by head agent Rommel Vallejo to conduct the investigation.

“I will wait first for the results of the ongoing probe into that security lapse. I will decide on that once we have the results of the probe,” De Lima replied when asked what action she would take against the officials who would be found responsible for the entry of the money and cell phones into the NBI jail.

Twenty prominent prisoners were transferred to the NBI jail on Dec. 15 after a raid on their lavish quarters in Bilibid turned up luxury goods, cash, firearms, drugs, communication gadgets and other contraband, which De Lima said indicated that some of them were conducting illegal drug operations behind bars.

According to an initial NBI report, the cash may have been brought along by the prisoners during the transfer to bribe NBI custodians.

Four of the prisoners—Herbert Colangco, Amin Imam Boratong, Michael Ong and Vincent Sy—reportedly claimed the money was theirs.