The Department of Justice-led Task Force Against Corruption will file before yearend its first formal complaint against government officials involved in corruption.
At the same time, the Department of Justice will start its preliminary investigation into the complaint filed against Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Steve Dicdican and 15 others, 11 of them are foreign nationals for alleged violation of anti-dummy laws.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra disclosed this Monday as the TFAC was nearing completion of its investigation of a “couple of formal charges” involving corrupt personnel or officials within this month.
“We may be able to file a couple of formal charges within the month,” Guevarra said, without divulging details on the nature of the corruption complaint and those being accused of irregularities in government.
“We will let you know the details, once it is (sic) already for filing,” he said.
As of Dec. 2, DOJ Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar said the TFAC had already received 98 reports of corruption.
National Prosecution Service Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento said the preliminary investigation on the complaint was set for January.
Named respondents in the complaint included MCIAA General Manager Dicdican; GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation Filipino officers, namely Manuel Louie Ferrer, Edgar Saavedra, Oliver Tan, and JZ Dela Cruz.
The foreign nationals impleaded in the complaint were eight Indian nationals identified as Srivinas Bommidala, Vivek Singhai, Ravi Bhatnagar, Ravishankar Saravu, Sudarshan MD, Kumar Gaurav, Magesh Nambiar, and Rajesh Madan.
The other foreigners mentioned in the complaint were Singaporean national P. Sripathy, Ghananian Andrew Acquaah-Harrison, and Irish national Michael Lenane.
The complaint was filed by the National Bureau of Investigation-Anti-Fraud Division (NBI-AFD) last Nov. 26 who found a basis to hold the 16 officials liable for violating the anti-dummy laws.
On Oct. 27, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the order creating the TFAC and immediately the Task Force started receiving complaints.
Guevarra began organizing the composite members of the Task Force and together they began formulating the guidelines and setting up the Secretariat that would oversee receiving the complaints and screening and verification of the complaints.
The DOJ chief stressed the TFAC became operational last Dec. 1 and by this time “The mechanism for the efficient operations of the TFAC is in place and is now processing complaints and reports on corruption.”
The TFAC, headed by the DOJ, would be composed of the National Bureau of Investigation, Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, Office of the Special Assistant to the President, National Prosecution Service, and the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
It would also invite the Commission on Audit), the Civil Service Commission, and the Office of the Ombudsman, but with due consideration of their independence as constitutional bodies.
Guevarra earlier said they had received complaints concerning the Department of Public Works and Highways-related projects.
The task force earlier identified the government agencies it would prioritize in its corruption probe, namely the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Bureau of Customs, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bureau of Immigration, and the Land Registration Authority.
The BI and the LRA are agencies under the DOJ.
According to reports NBI officer-in-charge Eric Distor said the case filed against the 16 officials originated from a complaint regarding the awarding of the operation and management of MCIA, that was awarded to GMCAC under a 25-year concession, after winning the bid for P14.4 billion.
The concession is for the expansion and operation of MCIA that consisted of the construction of a new passenger terminal with all associated infrastructure facilities; rehabilitation and expansion of the existing terminal along with all associated infrastructure and facilities; installation of the required information technology and other equipment commensurate with the operations; and operation and maintenance of both passenger terminals during the concession period.
Distor also said last Nov. 27, they filed a complaint against General Manager Dicdican before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly violating the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.