Euro confusion: De la Paz claim contradicts friend's affidavit

MANILA, Philippines – How many euros were really found in the possession of retired police comptroller Director Eliseo de la Paz when Russian authorities questioned him in an airport in Moscow last Oct. 11?

De la Paz claimed in an interview yesterday on radio dzBB that the receipt given to him by the Russian authorities indicated that some 124,000 euros were found in his possession without proper declaration.

It was the first time that De la Paz revealed the exact amount of euros questioned by Russian authorities.

He also admitted that a friend, Tyrone Ng-Arejola, gave him 19,000 euros to buy an expensive wristwatch.

But De la Paz’s statement contradicted the affidavit of Ng-Arejola that he gave the retired police director some 45,000 euros or over P2.9 million for a costly wristwatch.

With the 105,000 euros or P6.9 million withdrawn without proper authority from police intelligence funds by De la Paz and the 45,000 euros given to him by Ng-Arejola, the amount of euros in the possession of the retired police general would be 150,000 and not only 124,000, as De la Paz claims.

The STAR tried to reach De la Paz for clarification but he refused to answer calls made to his mobile phones.

Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Chief Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome, for his part, said he could not comment on the exact amount in the absence of an official report from Russia.

He said the information from the Directorate for Intelligence indicated that De la Paz had taken some P6.9 million, and that the PNP was no longer involved in his dealings with private persons.

De la Paz and his wife were held and questioned at an airport in Moscow over the undeclared cash last Oct. 11. The retired police director returned to the Philippines on Oct. 21 but as of press time, the money has remained with Russian authorities.

The wife of PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa and retired police Director Jaime Caringal have been directed to appear before Russian authorities on Nov. 13, 2008.

The two were told to go to the Sheremetyevo Airport, Administrative Building, Sheremetyevo Customs 3rd floor room 24324.

Mrs. Verzosa joined the PNP delegation to the Interpol General Assembly in St. Petersburg in Russia from Oct. 6 to 11, though her husband remained in the Philippines to attend to the conflict in Mindanao and other pressing matters involving the PNP.

Verzosa’s lawyer Senior Superintendent Benjamin de los Santos said Mrs. Verzosa would cooperate in the investigation, but she will not likely fly back to Russia.

“Going back is impractical under the circumstances,” said De los Santos.

The PNP chief has recommended the filing of charges against individuals involved in the unauthorized released of intelligence funds, but the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) failed to file the charges after the Office of the Ombudsman took over the investigation.

Under preventive suspension

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. stressed that Verzosa must be placed under preventive suspension by the National Police Commission due to the “euro generals mess” and that the retirement benefits of retired comptroller De la Paz must be frozen.

“Napolcom is the immediate superior of the PNP. It should not pass the buck to any other entity,” Pimentel said.

Pimentel said it was unfortunate that Verzosa’s wife Cynthia was being dragged into the controversy.

“That I cannot understand, they (Russian authorities) had her and then they allowed her to go home and then they want her to (come back),” Pimentel said.

But Pimentel said this is more reason for Verzosa to be placed under preventive suspension because the “story is getting more curious by the day by additional information,” which “thickens the plot and tightens the noose of guilt around some high officials of PNP.”

Since Verzosa is on the saddle, Pimentel said there was no question that he could not avoid getting involved in the investigation.

“Under criminal law as well as administrative law, there is a devise called preventive suspension where a person is not presumed to be guilty. There is no presumption of guilt but he is placed under preventive suspension to prevent him from manipulating either the records or the witnesses under his control,” he said.

Pimentel said the investigation must proceed without inhibition and Napolcom must exercise its function.

“I don’t know what (Interior Secretary Ronaldo) Puno is waiting for. He should take over immediately and bash the heads of those who need bashing,” he said.

“Puno is not the Napolcom, he’s just the chairman. In other words, if he is also implicated in the case, he should be removed in the meantime. That whole joy ride to Moscow should really be investigated,” Pimentel said.

“The euro generals are not off the hook yet. (But) the other police officials should be cleared as soon as possible or sanctioned if evidence so warrant. It seems to me that some of them were merely innocent victims that went along for the Interpol joy ride to Moscow,” Pimentel said.  

The PNP initially claimed that the money seized from De la Paz was “contingency funds” for the PNP delegation to the Interpol conference, but when told that only President Arroyo has the right to contingency funds, the PNP said the fund was a “cash advance.”

The PNP chief later claimed the money was from the intelligence fund intended for the purchase of intelligence equipment, but that the money was released in Philippine pesos without the approval of the proper authority.

De la Paz, however, said he had the money changed from Philippine peso to euro at a money changer in Manila.

But the budget department said it would be unlawful for PNP officials to procure equipment without proper bidding.

The Senate is investigating the issue and De la Paz was ordered arrested by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago for failing to attend the hearing. The arrest warrant, however, has yet to be issued by Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. pending study of the rules on the matter.