Purisima ordered arrested over courier service deal

MANILA, Philippines - Former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Alan Purisima was ordered arrested yesterday on charges of graft for his alleged involvement in an anomalous courier service contract for firearms licenses.

He did not post bail before the Sandiganbayan after being indicted two weeks ago.

He instead filed a motion for judicial determination of probable cause.  

Justices of the Sixth Division also ordered the arrest of 10 of Purisima’s co-accused: Napoleon Estilles, Gil Meneses, Allan Parreño, Melchor Reyes, Ford Tuazon, Salud Bautista, Enrique Valerio, Lorna Parena, Mario Juan and Juliana Pasia.

Six of his co-accused, former PNP-Firearms and Explosives Office chief Raul Petrasanta, Eduardo Acierto, Nelson Bautista, Ricardo Zapata Jr., Lenbell Fabia and Sonia Calixto, posted bail in the amount of P30,000 each last week.

The anti-graft court said the arrest warrants were issued after an independent determination of the existence of probable cause. 

The motions of  respondents asking for judicial determination of  probable cause are now rendered moot, justices headed by Associate Justice Rodolfo Ponferrada added. 

The grounds relied upon in the motions “are matters of defense” and are “best raised and threshed out during trial,” the Sandiganbayan said.

Prosecutors indicted Purisima and other police officials, along with private individuals, after investigating the PNP’s courier services contract with Werfast Documentation Agency Inc. in 2011.

Results of the probe showed that the deal should not have been awarded to the private firm whose services were allegedly overpriced by as much as P200 per delivery.