ARRESTING SIGHT Dismissed police chief Alan Purisima, who was arrested but not cuffed, appears relaxed on his way to post bail at the Sandiganbayan. He “surrendered,” according to his lawyer. RAFFY LERMA
Earlier this month, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales announced that she had ordered the filing of graft charges against former Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima and 11 other police officials in connection with the allegedly irregular P100-million service contract awarded to a startup courier firm in 2011.
The Office of the Ombudsman earlier found probable cause to hold them liable for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, when they engaged the services of Werfast Documentation Agency Inc. for the delivery of gun licenses without conducting the mandated public bidding and despite the company’s lack of track record in the courier business.
Purisima, a shooting buddy of President Aquino and a personal friend, was dismissed from the service in June last year after the Ombudsman found him guilty of administrative liabilities over the Werfast controversy.
Also indicted for graft in the Sandiganbayan were Chief Supt. Raul Petrasanta, retired Directors Gil Meneses and Napoleon Estilles, former Chief Supt. Allan Parreño, Senior Superintendents Eduardo Acierto and Melchor Reyes, Supt. Lenbell Fabia, Chief Inspectors Sonia Calixto, Nelson Bautista and Ricardo Zapata Jr., and Senior Insp. Ford Tuazon.
Included as private respondents were Werfast incorporators Mario Juan, Salud Bautista, Enrique Valerio, Lorna Perena and Juliana Pasia.
In an order dated May 18, the antigraft court’s Sixth Division issued the arrest warrant for Purisima and his fellow respondents.
In ordering the arrests, the court threw out the separate motions for judicial determination of probable cause filed by Purisima, Salud Bautista and Werfast owner Juan.
Salud Bautista, an incorporator of Werfast, is also the registered owner of Philippine Remittance Co., which has been implicated in the laundering in the Philippines of $81 million stolen by hackers in February from the Bangladesh central bank’s account in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
The resolution was signed by Associate Justice Rodolfo Ponferrada, chair of the newly created Sixth Division, and Associate Justices Oscar Herrera and Michael Frederick Musngi.
Besides Purisima, Salud Bautista and Juan, also ordered arrested were Meneses, Estilles, Parreño, Reyes, Tuazon, Valerio, Perena and Pasia.
The court also set the arraignment of Petrasanta, Acierto, Fabia, Calixto, Nelson Bautista and Zapata for June 20 after they posted bail of P30,000 each.
Last week, the court issued a hold-departure order prohibiting Purisima and the other accused from leaving the country. Compiled by Kate Pedroso, Inquirer Research
Source: Inquirer Archives
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