Ombudsman panel has stronger case vs Mike A

MANILA, Philippines - A fact-finding panel from the Office of the Ombudsman is confident of building a stronger case against former first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo in the Philippine National Police (PNP) helicopter deal anomaly.

Edgardo Dansuy, Media Affairs Bureau director, said the five-man panel submitted the 98-page report to Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales on Monday.

Details of the team’s findings backed by voluminous documentary and testamentary evidence will be revealed today, he added.

The team has consolidated the two separate plunder and graft complaints filed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on Sept. 2, 2011 and Senators Teofisto Guingona III, Panfilo Lacson, and Aquilino Pimentel III on Oct. 13, 2011, Dansuy said.

Those implicated in the anomalous transaction include former Interior and Local Government secretary Ronaldo Puno and retired PNP chief Jesus Versoza.

Second-hand helicopters worth P62.6 million were allegedly sold to the PNP as brand new in 2009.

Arroyo is being tagged as the real owner of the light operational helicopters sold by the Manila Aerospace Products Trading Corporation (MAPTRA) based on the testimony of Lion Air Inc. president Archibald Po and other witnesses.

A source said the team has gathered more evidence like proofs of remittances not included in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee report on the helicopter deal anomaly.

The team also has an additional statement from Po, the source said.

A comprehensive Commission on Audit (COA) report now being finalized might result in the fact-finding team’s submission of a supplemental report to Ombudsman Morales, the source added.

The investigating team came out with its initial findings last month but asked for 30 more days to complete its fact-finding investigation.

It is headed by Assistant Ombudsman Joselito Fangon and Deputy Special Prosecutor John Turalba.

Morales granted the request after members of the panel expressed their need to validate voluminous documents in coordination with other concerned government agencies like the COA.

The submission of the final findings will pave the way for a preliminary investigation to allow the respondents to answer the charges against them to determine probable cause to indict them before the Sandiganbayan.

The CIDG accused Arroyo, Puno, Versoza and a number of other police officials and individuals of committing plunder and of violating the Government Procurement Reform Act.

Guingona, Lacson and Pimentel accused them of graft by conspiring to defraud the government of more than P62.6 million through the “fraudulent, anomalous, and irregular acquisition” of helicopters, thereby causing injury to the government.

Morales ordered the creation of the fact-finding team to look into both complaints to expedite the resolution of the same.