DOJ to finish initial probe on rent-sangla scam within April

The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) panel of prosecutors hopes to finish its preliminary investigation on the rent-sangla scam within the month.

Assistant State Prosecutor Aristotle Reyes said Monday that they are hoping to wrap up their formal probe by April 28 following the filing of a response from the private complainants and the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) to the counter-affidavit submitted by the respondents led by the alleged brains behind the scheme, Rafaela Montes Anunciacion.

Currently, there are 50 complainants after nine withdrew their complaints after recovering their vehicles.

At the same time, the panel of prosecutors ordered the PNP-HPG to provide them a complete list of recovered vehicles that have been turned over to their owners as well as those in the impounding area.

Reyes said once the PNP-HPG provided them with a list, this will clear the complaints of some of the victims that their vehicles have yet to be returned to them.

Earlier, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) was able to recover more than 300 vehicles with 177 of them already returned to their owners.

The NBI also filed a separate complaint before the DOJ against Anunciacion, Anastacia Cauyan, Eliseo Cortez, Sabina Torrea, Bienvenido Cruz and Marilou Vera Cruz.

The DOJ is set to conduct a separate preliminary investigation on the complaint on April 26. JE/rga