Press Release
October 29, 2008

ROXAS DEMANDS DE LA PAZ PRESENCE IN SENATE PROBE CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT ON INTEL FUNDS PUSHED

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today demanded that retired PNP comptroller Deputy Director General Eliseo de la Paz should be forced to testify before the next Senate hearing on the "euro general" issue, saying the public demands full answers to questions left unanswered by the PNP investigation into the issue.

Roxas, acting chair of the Senate foreign relations committee investigating the issue, said he is filing a bill that will grant Congress full oversight powers over the use of military and police intelligence funds similar to the system in the US Congress.

He said only De la Paz can answer questions that remain hanging despite the PNP chief's directive that the former PNP comptroller and other PNP officers be charged criminally and administratively over the controversy.

"As long as De la Paz will not present himself to the Senate Committee, then there will always be questions that remain unanswered. His testimony will be crucial to determine the solutions to the problems posed by this case. Likewise, his testimony will have a direct bearing on the credibility that the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will give to the report," the Liberral Party president said.

Roxas also said the result of the PNP investigation into the "euro general" issue appears to have prematurely absolved many officials from the PNP and other agencies who need to be charged over the issue.

"Worth noting is that the Commission on Audit was not at all involved in the fact finding process considering that this is the Constitutionally mandated body with the power and authority to examine, audit and settle all accounts pertaining to all the revenues and expenditures of government funds and properties," the Ilonggo senator said.

He expressed fears that the charges ordered by Versoza to be filed against De la Paz and the other PNP officers would only be rejected by the courts for lack of supporting evidence and documents proving their violations of the law.

"Sa ibang salita, lutong macao na naman ang kasong ito (In other words, this is nothing but hogwash)," Roxas said.

Roxas noted that among the evidence submitted by the PNP, they include several affidavits notarized by the same lawyer based in Camp Crame who notarized the certification issued by a certain Felisa Sakaluran, the money exchange dealer who allegedly exchanged the P6.93 million withdrawn by De la Paz from the PNP intelligence fund into euros that were seized from his wife in Moscow.

He also noted discrepancies in the affidavits issued by Sakaluran that could question its authenticity or acceptance as evidence in court.

Roxas also said the following documents were missing from the list of evidence necessary to pin down De la Paz and the other PNP officers if Versoza's orders were to be followed by the CIDG:

1. Complete itinerary per traveling officer provided by the travel agent who arranged the bookings;

2. Certification from BSP of the legal personality and capacity of Felisa Sakaluran Enterprise to engage in foreign exchange transactions;

3. Certification from the Bureau of Customs and/or Bureau of Immigration that indeed no money was declared by PDir Dela Paz and the other officers when they departed from the Philippines;

4. Certified copies of income tax returns filed before the BIR and Statements of Assets and Liabilities filed before the CSC of the said officers to establish capacity to travel.

Roxas told Versoza that as a result of the controversy, he will push for the creation of a law that would create a Congressional Oversight Committee that will monitor the release, use and liquidation of intelligence funds..

The US government has a US Congress Joint Select Oversight Committee on Intelligence that oversees intelligence operations and expenditures whose members come from select members of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate.

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