PNP officer convicted in US reinstated, gets juicy post

A police officer who was convicted and served his sentence for insurance fraud in the United States was promoted here and assigned to a juicy post.

Records at the Philippine National Police (PNP) showed that former Chief Inspector Napoleon Cauyan was dismissed from the service in April 1993 for carjacking.

But even after his dismissal, Cauyan was promoted to superintendent. He was later appointed to head the PNP-Traffic Management Group (TMG) in Central Luzon.

Cauyan was relieved from his duties last Tuesday for his alleged involvement in carjacking activities.

Cauyan’s appointment at the TMG triggered a controversy since he later received a felony conviction in the US and served two years in prison there for insurance fraud in October 1990.

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) investigating Cauyan’s alleged carjacking activities revealed his police records showed that he was dismissed from the service on April 28, 1993 under General Order 344 (GO-344).

According to Senior Superintendent Benjamin de los Santos, CIDG chief of detectives and spokesman, Cauyan went to the US following his dismissal from the police service.

While in the US, Cauyan and two others were charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Oct. 24, 1990 with falsifying car insurance claims.

Los Angeles Judicial District Judge Gordon Ringer sentenced Cauyan to two years in prison after he pleaded guilty to the felony.

After serving his sentence, Cauyan returned home and somehow managed to regain his position as a ranking police officer.

"Then here he is still passing himself as a ranking TMG officer, when in fact he is no longer a member of the PNP in the first place," said Senior Superintendent Benjamin de los Santos, CIDG chief of detectives and spokesman.

De los Santos said the dismissal order of Cauyan simply disappeared from the police files and was later "reconstructed."

It appears that the carjacking activities for which Cauyan was accused and which led to his dismissal from service were replaced by a robbery case which was dismissed.

De los Santos added Cauyan was "fraudulently" reabsorbed into the PNP from the ranks of the defunct Philippine Constabulary with the rank of second lieutenant.

He said the CIDG investigators learned that Cauyan allegedly assumed the name of a dead officer and used the service number of another officer.

"His service records speak for itself. When we checked his absorption order when he was called to active duty it appeared that his papers were in all order," De los Santos said.

But when his records were compared to the military records at Camp Aguinaldo, it was discovered that Cauyan’s return to the PNP ranks was carried out under the name of another officer.

"He (Cauyan) just superimposed his name above the name of another officer, a certain 2Lt. Amenrico Tadeo," De los Santos said.

He added Cauyan also used the service number which was originally issued to a certain 2Lt. Augustus Inocencio.

After Cauyan’s conviction in the US, De los Santos said the records forwarded by the FBI had certified that he was indeed jailed for two years for insurance fraud.

De los Santos led the police team that swooped down on Cauyan’s residence in Mariveles, Bataan last Tuesday on reports that the erstwhile TMG chief himself was involved in carjacking.

Delos Santos said his men seized several vehicles and automotive parts from Cauyan.

Cauyan himself was unavailable for comment but his counsel, who did not bother to identify himself, answered for him.

"Ang pagkulong ng client ko sa US ay walang kinalaman sa case niya dito (The conviction of my client in the US has no bearing on his case here)," his unidentified spokesman and lawyer said in a text message.

"My client is innocent. I know him, he is my classmate in the college of law. He has a good heart. You can ask General Pan (TMG director Chief Superintendent Errol Pan). He is a victim of a wrong conclusion. He is (a) dedicated policeman. Many officers in (the) PNP ay nalulungkot sa nangyari sa kanya (are sad over Cauyan’s fate)," he said.

Cauyan’s "lawyer" meanwhile tried to turn the tables on De los Santos, accusing him of being the "bagman" of a police general based at the PNP headquarters at Camp Crame. — Jaime Laude