‘Euro general’ granted furlough to attend daughter’s wedding

Former police comptroller Eliseo Dela Paz. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

After being allowed to attend the funeral of his mother and sister, the accused in the “Euro general” scandal is allowed by the court to visit the wedding of his daughter.

The Sandiganbayan Fourth Division has granted Eliseo Dela Paz an eight-hour furlough to attend the wedding of his daughter Hannah Mae on Feb. 5 from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The eight-hour furlough granted Dela Paz, who is detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center for malversation, to attend not only the wedding ceremony but also the dinner reception at Rigodon Ball Room of the Peninsula Manila.

The court directed the PNP to grant Dela Paz security escorts to protect the accused and prevent his escape from detention.

Dela Paz should also shoulder all the expenses for his furlough, the court said.

The court ordered the police to return Dela Paz to his detention cell not later than 10:30 p.m.

The resolution was signed by Associate Justices Jose Hernandez, Alex Quiroz and Napoleon Inoturan.

In his motion, Dela Paz pleaded for the court’s understanding for him as a father to attend the wedding of his daughter.

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

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

De la Paz is among 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 an undeclared amount of 105,000 euros (P6.9 million).

READ: ‘Euro general’ Eliseo de la Paz and wife ordered arrested

The money allegedly had been illegally withdrawn from the PNP intelligence funds.

The former PNP comptroller is also 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 PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame after the Sandiganbayan denied them bail from malversation over the ghost repairs case.

The court earlier granted Dela Paz an overnight furlough to attend the wake of his sister last April 2015.

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

He lost his sister a few months after his mother Dominga Dela Paz passed away last October 2014, during which he was granted by the court a 24-hour furlough for humanitarian reasons. RAM

READ: ‘Eurogeneral’ leaves jail temporarily for mom’s wake, burial