‘Euro general’ asks court’s nod to attend daughter’s wedding

Former police comptroller Eliseo de la Paz. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Former Philippine National Police (PNP) comptroller Eliseo Dela Paz has asked the Sandiganbayan for furlough to attend the wedding of his daughter even as he faces malversation and graft charges over the “Euro general” scandal.

In his motion, the former police officer accused in the Euro general scandal asked the court’s nod for him to leave his detention cell at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center to attend the wedding of his daughter Hannah Mae on Feb. 5 at The Peninsula Manila in Makati City.

Dela Paz pleaded for the court’s understanding for him as a father to attend the wedding.

“The wedding of one’s child is one of our life’s most important and memorable rites in a family,” Dela Paz said through his lawyers.

This is the third time Dela Paz had asked the court’s nod for a furlough citing important family events.

The court earlier granted Dela Paz an overnight furlough to attend the wake of his sister in April 2015. He lost his sister a few months after his mother Dominga Dela Paz died in October 2014, during which he was granted by the court a 24-hour furlough for humanitarian reasons. 

READ: ‘Euro general’ allowed furlough | ‘Euro general’ De la Paz granted furlough to attend sister’s wake

Dela Paz asked for furlough lasting from morning up to the wedding reception in the evening. The wedding would start past 4 p.m.

He said he is willing to be escorted by the PNP custodial personnel at his expense.

De la Paz is one of the police officials facing malversation and graft charges over the alleged irregular granting of allowances to a group of police generals who attended a conference in Russia in 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 Moscow airport after he and his wife were found to be carrying the undeclared amount of 105,000 euros (P6.9 million).

The money allegedly had been illegally withdrawn from the PNP intelligence funds.

The former PNP comptroller is also an accused in the malversation case over the alleged ghost repairs of police vehicles in the amount of P385.5 million. The case included PNP Retired Gen. Avelino Razon Jr., the first PNP official to face graft.

Razon, Dela Paz, and other former police officers are detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame after the Sandiganbayan denied them bail from malversation over the ghost repairs case.IDL