The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has charged an administrative officer from the Department of Justice (DOJ) with multiple criminal offenses for allegedly diverting at least P12 million in public funds, NBI spokesperson Palmer Mallari confirmed.
In a media interview on Saturday, December 27, Mallari explained that irregularities were discovered regarding benefits intended for regional prosecutors.
“Nadiskubre ng Department of Justice (DOJ) Payroll Section na may mga iregularidad sa paghahanda ng payroll ng mga regional prosecutors, at nang makumpleto ang mga dokumento, ito ay isinangguni sa NBI para sa imbestigasyon,” he said.
(The DOJ Payroll Section detected irregularities in the preparation of the payroll for regional prosecutors, and once the necessary documents were completed, they referred the matter to the NBI for investigation.)
Mallari indicated that the suspect manipulated ‘mule accounts’ and reactivated payroll accounts of retired, resigned, and inactive prosecutors to redirect the benefits.
“Dahil siya ang may hawak ng payroll, nagawa niyang i-reactivate ang mga accounts at ilipat ang mga benepisyo papunta sa mga iligal na mule accounts,” he added.
(Since he managed the payroll, he was able to reactivate these accounts and transfer benefits to illegal mule accounts.)
He mentioned that on December 22, the case was already referred by the DOJ to the NBI.
To recall, on December 22, the NBI conducted an entrapment operation at the DOJ Payroll Section in Manila after confirming that government bonuses, including the Performance Enhancement Incentive (PEI) and Special Recognition Incentive (SRI), had been credited to accounts associated with the suspect.
The NBI confirmed that the suspect, along with several alleged accomplices, has been charged with malversation of public funds, qualified theft, graft, and multiple cybercrime-related offenses, and they are currently in detention.
