DOJ payroll officer held over P12 million fund diversion

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has filed charges against an administrative officer of the Department of Justice for allegedly diverting at least P12 million in DOJ funds.

According to NBI spokesman Palmer Mallari, the DOJ referred the case to the bureau on Dec. 22 after its payroll section discovered irregularities in the preparation of the payroll for regional prosecutors.

“After completing the documents, the matter was referred to the NBI for investigation,” Mallari said.

The suspect allegedly reactivated the payroll accounts of retired, resigned as well as inactive DOJ prosecutors and redirected their benefits to “mule accounts.”

“Because the suspect had control over the payroll, he was able to reactivate the accounts and transfer the benefits to illegal accounts,” Mallari said.

The NBI conducted an entrapment operation on Dec. 22 at the DOJ payroll section in Manila after confirming that bonuses for state workers, including the Productivity Enhancement Incentive and the Special Recognition Incentive, were credited to accounts linked to the suspect.

The suspect and his alleged accomplices were charged with malversation of public funds, qualified theft, graft and other cybercrime-related offenses. They are under detention.