De la Paz protected PNP superiors under code of silence - Pimentel

Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today said retired Police Director Eliseo de la Paz apparently tried to conceal the involvement of superior officials in the undeclared euro money scandal by following a code of silence when he told a Senate inquiry that he alone was responsible for the anomaly.

But despite De la Paz's attempt to protect higher officials in the Philippine National Police, Pimentel said he found the ex-police comptroller's version of the story to be lacking in credibility.

"My impression was that he was acting like a member of the Mafia, the notorious gangsters' group in the United States. Once he is caught by the police, he is expected not to squeal on his confederates in the organization even if this will cost him his life, bound as he is by omerta, the code of silence," Pimentel said.

In his testimony before the joint hearing Saturday of the Senate foreign relations committee and the blue ribbon committee which is looking into the Oct. 11 incident in Moscow, De la Paz claimed sole responsibility for the release of P6.93 million cash advance out of the PNP intelligence fund which he later converted into 105,000 euros, and brought with him during the trip to Russia for the 77th Interpol conference.

"On that point, just as in any criminal case, he really pinned the blame entirely on himself. He was the one who put the rope around his neck with which to hang himself," Pimentel observed.

The minority leader said De la Paz' persistent claim that he requested finance and disbursement officers to release the P6.9 million to "in preparation for any contingency" during the trip of the PNP delegation was contradicted by the circumstances surrounding the transaction as narrated by him and other police officers involved.

In the first place, Pimentel pointed out that only P2.3 million had been authorized by Secretary Puno to defray the expenses of the delegation as specified in their travel order.

De la Paz told the hearing that he received the P6.9 million from Senior Superintendent Tomas Rentoy III, budget division chief of the of the PNP directorate for comptrollership, whom he had earlier instructed to release the money.

Rentoy testified that he sourced the money from the intelligence funds kept in the vault of Supt. Samuel Rodriguez, the disbursing officer of the PNP directorate for intelligence.

Pimentel noted that De la Paz had caused the release of the huge fund without the usual supporting papers, as if it was purposely done to remove any paper trail.

Rodriguez testified that while he followed the instruction to release the money, he decided to send a memo to his immediate supervisor, Chief Supt. Orlando Pestano, head of PNP financial services, informing him of the "very unusual" cash release to De la Paz.

Pimentel said Rodriguez acted correctly by writing the memo to Pestano, knowing that he would be held accountable for any irregular disbursement of funds under his custody.

"Supt. Rodriguez only showed that he was bothered by his conscience over the questionable transaction. And I think that if graft complaints will be filed against those involved in this anomaly, there is justification to use him as a state witness," he said.

Pimentel said De la Paz betrayed his dubious intention for seeking the release of the P6.9 million when he was asked by Pestano about the transaction. De la Paz might have told him don't be too inquisitive. 'Leave this to me.' In other words, plantsado (all fixed) na ito."

The minority leader said he was perplexed why De la Paz chose to keep silent and invoked his right against self-incrimination when he was queried by Sen. Loren Legarda how he was able to take the money out of the Philippines.

Pimentel said this has given rise to suspicion that the money came from other sources and somebody carried and delivered the money to De la Paz.