A second graft case has been filed at the Sandiganbayan against Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr.
This time the case involves the allegedly anomalous contract for security services that he entered into when he was governor from July 2008 to December 2009.
Villafuerte is facing a graft case at the anti-graft court’s Sixth Division in connection with the Camarines Sur provincial government’s alleged illegal procurement in 2010 of petroleum products worth P5 million from a private company in a public bidding.
Reacting to the filing of the second graft case against him, Villafuerte said: “This is another baseless complaint from the perennial filer of nuisance cases, more so now that its political season again.
“I am confident that this case will be dismissed in due time for being baseless and nothing more than an instrument of political harassment,” Villafuerte said in a statement.
“No money was lost by the government as the service was fully rendered by the security company,” he said.
“The security agency in this nuisance complaint was hired by the provincial capitol before I took over as governor in 2004. I merely renewed its contract after I assumed office,” Villafuerte said.
Then-provincial accountant Leticia de Leon Aliorde, executive assistant Richard Fooshee Rivera, rural health physician Bernadette Galan Carlos, and medical officer Gerardo Nolasco Villafuerte were included in the charge sheet.
The Sandiganbayan received the complaint on Monday, June 18.
In the complaint, Ombudsman graft investigator Gian Carla Hernal alleged that Villafuerte and his co-accused allegedly acted with “manifest partiality, evident bad faith, and/or gross inexcusable negligence” when they gave: unwarranted benefits to Tigon Security Investigation and General Services Inc.
As head of the provincial government’s procurement arm, the Ombudsman said Villafuerte entered into a contract with Tigon Security and approved the disbursement vouchers for the payment.
This followed a certification from Aliorde that supporting documents for the security services were complete.
Rivera, Carlos and Gerardo also certified obligation requests that the payments for Tigon Security were valid and legal.
But the Ombudsman said the contract for security services failed to go through a public bidding as mandated by the Government Procurement Reform Act.
It did not state the amount of the contract with Tigon Security.
A bail bond of P30,000 has been recommended for each accused in the case.