Plunder case set to be filed vs ex-ARMM governor for P1-B fund misuse

MANILA, Philippines—The government may file plunder charges against Zaldy Ampatuan, former governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), after government auditors reported that P1 billion of ARMM funds were unaccounted for.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima met with Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo and Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz on Tuesday morning to discuss the course of action the government would take following the release of the Commission on Audit (COA) report.

De Lima said in a press conference that plunder charges might be filed against the Ampatuans, “specifically, Zaldy Ampatuan.”

The results of that audit showed almost P1 billion either unaccounted for or involving fictitious receipts and fictitious supporting documents, De Lima said.

The COA conducted a special audit of the ARMM in the aftermath of the Nov. 23, 2009 Maguindanao massacre where Ampatuan family members, including the former ARMM governor, were named as primary suspects.

Zaldy Ampatuan and several other clan members are now in jail.

The COA special study covered the period January 2008 to September 2009 and was completed in December 2010.

The findings showed that the ARMM ignored laws and misused government funds. Among the questionable transactions was the allocation of funds for the upkeep of a Metro Manila office in an upscale neighborhood.

The COA report was submitted to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), which supervises the ARMM.

In a separate interview, Robredo said it was the first time the COA conducted a proper audit of ARMM funds.

He said government auditors were even given security by the police and military because “if not, the ARMM could not be audited.”

Robredo expressed confidence about having a strong case against Ampatuan as well as some 15 other officials of the Office of the Regional Governor (ORG).

“Clearly, there are excessive expenditures and that is why I believe this is a strong case,” Robredo told reporters after his meeting with De Lima.

He expressed hope a plunder case against Ampatuan and other ARMM officials would be filed with the Office of the Ombudsman.

The COA audited P2.5 billion worth of public funds of which P1 billion was apparently diverted or misused.

Robredo said there were three more parts of the COA report which would be submitted next month and which could lead to the filing of charges against more people in the alleged ARMM fund scam.

“But while it’s good we hold people accountable, at the end of the day, it’s more important that we clean it up. This means not just filing cases but making sure this never happens again. The only way this will not happen again is if we institute reforms in ARMM,” Robredo said.

“To my mind, this can be done if there is enough authority in so far as the central government is concerned. As to how it will be managed, there are accountable officials who will be answerable to the central government and not only to people in ARMM,” he added.