Pimentel slams PNP chief on claim that euros
were for weapons purchase

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today said Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa was weaving a tall tale with his belated explanation that the 105,000 euros (about P6.9) million handcarried by a senior police officer during a trip to Russia came from the PNP's intelligence fund and was intended for the purchase of arms and spy gear.

Pimentel said Verzosa's revised story is simply incredible and was probably invented to conceal the real source and purpose of the money to allow not only former PNP comptroller and retired Police Director Eliseo de la Paz but also the PNP chief and other senior police officers to get off the hook in the wake of the so-called euro money scandal.

"It is quite clear to me that they are lying. Why would they now say that the money was for the purchase of arms and spying equipment? How can we believe them when there was no mention of this reason when they testified at the Senate hearing. Now they have invented that story. What else can I say but 'tell that to the marines," the minority leader said.

The senator from Mindanao recalled that during the Senate hearing, Director General Verzosa was repeatedly questioned by the senators on whether the disbursement of the alleged cash advance or contingent fund had his prior approval and whether it came from PNP funds. He said that Verzosa categorically answered these questions in the negative.

"As a matter of fact, he may be cited for contempt for trying to fool around with the Senate," Pimentel said.

He said Verzosa's explanation also directly contradicted De la Paz's persistent claim that the l05,000 euros were drawn from the regular funds of the PNP covered by his authority as PNP comptroller to be spent for incidental expense of the nine-man PNP delegation to the 77th Interpol general assembly in St. Petersburg, Russia on Oct. 7-l0.

Pimentel also said that the arrest of former Director De la Paz could not be immediately carried out without the approval by majority of committee members of the motion to cite him for contempt for defying the Senate's subpoena to testify last Thursday's hearing of the foreign relations committee.

He said that is the reason why Senate President Manuel Villar and Sen. Pia Cayetano, who acted as officer-in-charge of the Senate last week, could not sign the warrant of arrest.

Pimentel also urged the PNP to discontinue its own internal investigation of the euro money controversy as he cast doubts on whether this will lead to a credible and accurate report.

He said that since five of the senior police officers sent to the Interpol conference were Verzosa's classmates in the Philippine Military Academy and their wives, including that of the PNP chief, had joined the junket, it is likely that the PNP investigation would be whitewashed.

"Therefore, it would be better for them to lay off from the investigation. Instead, they should entrust the investigation to the Senate," Pimentel said.