Ombudsman OKs filing of raps vs former ambassador to Nigeria

MANILA, Philippines - A former ambassador will be charged with four counts of malversation of public funds for allegedly misusing $95,856 for the repatriation of kidnapped overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in 2007.

Acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro said the anti-graft agency found probable cause to charge former ambassador to Nigeria Masaranga Umpa before the Sandiganbayan.

In a complaint, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said of the $174,000 sent on Feb. 7, 2007 for the safe release and repatriation of 24 Filipino crewmembers of Baco Liner II and one OFW, $95,856.08 was spent for non-existing transactions as evidenced by fabricated documents.

Umpa was accused of making it appear that Wellington Hotel Limited in Nigeria was paid $1,565 for six hotel rooms and for the breakfast and lunch of 11 police escorts.

The DFA said the expenses could not have been incurred because Nigerian authorities turned over the Filipino seamen to Umpa and then acting foreign secretary Esteban Conejos Jr. in the afternoon of Feb. 13, 2007.

Upon verification, Adeleke Osinuga, the Nigerian hotel accountant, said the documents shown to them were forgeries and were not issued by the hotel.

Documents gathered further showed that hotel bills were not stamped “paid” and charges were billed on the alleged date of departure; cash vouchers were not signed by the regular administrative officer; and the post exceeded its authority to engage the services of 11 escorts when only six escorts were allowed.

It was also learned that the embassy did not rent any room at Hotel Presidential between Feb. 18 and 28, 2007 for the accommodation of the police escorts, who stayed at a different hotel and that no escorts were left behind at Port Harcourt.

Supposed expenses of $20,944 were also allegedly presented using bogus documents.

The complaint said the supposed “package deal” for the room accommodation of the police escorts from March 1 to 12, 2007 never took place, and that all documents had been fabricated. The hotel never received any payment from the Philippine embassy since the hotel never billeted the group, and that no guests were registered as representatives of the embassy, the complaint added.

Umpa also presented documents to show that a helicopter and a van were chartered to ferry the OFWs.

However, investigation showed no such transportation was used.

“In the instant case, it is very clear that the respondent (Umpa) had been very negligent in his duty of counter-checking the supporting documents for the cash advances for several transactions which he himself was involved in,” the Office of the Ombudsman said.

“He (Umpa) committed the acts of malversation through abandonment or negligence, by approving ‘for payment’ the non-existing transactions.”

Records show President Joseph Estrada named Umpa ambassador to Nigeria and he was retained in a holdover capacity by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.