Cop faces malversation of public property rap

CEBU, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman has filed malversation of public property charges against a policeman from Carcar City for allegedly failing to return the Colt Super .38 caliber pistol that was issued to him.

Graft Investigation and Prosecution officer Clarisa Tejada has pressed charges against PO1 Lorenzo de los Reyes after the latter failed to return his service firearm worth P7,000.

Carcar City Police chief Teofilo Siclot was the one who filed a complaint against him.

Siclot in his affidavit said that last August 15, 2008, a quarterly showdown inspection, or an inventory of office equipment and short firearm, was made in their station and that de los Reyes failed to present the said firearm that was issued to him.

Siclot said that delos Reyes presented a similar caliber however and that their supply officer noticed that the said firearm is not the same as the one issued to him. De los Reyes asked for a week to present the said firearm, but still he failed to do so.

He said that his firearm was under repair. Weeks had passed, yet he still failed to return the said gun. And because de los Reyes also failed to present his counter affidavit to the case that was filed against him, he had been charged of the criminal case before the Regional Trial Court by the Ombudsman Visayas.

“The failure of de los Reyes to return the aforementioned firearm upon demand by the police chief is a prima facie evidence that he has put the said government property to his personal use,” Tejada said. - Jasmin R. Uy/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)