Former Department of Budget and Management Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao is now out of police custody after he posted bail on Wednesday, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Colonel Jean Fajardo said.
In an interview with Manila Standard on Friday, Fajardo said Lao is no longer under the Criminal Investigation Division Group (CIDG) custody. He posted bail on Wednesday, hours after he was detained for graft charges.
Lao posted a sum of P90,000 for his temporary liberty. He was captured on Wednesday morning in Davao City as authorities served a warrant for his arrest issued by the Ombudsman.
Lao served as executive director of the Procurement Service of the DBM during the administration of then President Rodrigo Duterte. The former official was implicated in the multibillion Pharmally corruption scandal at the height of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Lao and former Health Secretary Francisco Duque were accused of irregularities, stemming from the complaint of then Senator Richard Gordon over the alleged anomalous purchase of medical supplies as part of the pandemic response of the Department of Health (DOH).
