NBI files raps versus 2 San Carlos treasury men
JUST TIP OF THE ICEBERG?
SAN CARLOS—The mystery behind the allegedly stolen P9 million fund from the coffers of the San Carlos city government has finally been uncovered.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has found cashier-designate Leny Fermin and City Treasurer Arturo Mandapat as the primary suspects behind the missing P9 million.
A criminal complaint has been filed against them before the Ombudsman on July 6. Fermin was charged with malversation and perjury while Mandapat was charged with perjury and malversation thru negligence, being Fermin’s superior officer.
Atty. Rogelio Mamauag, chief of NBI Dagupan, said their investigation showed that the claimed robbery purportedly committed on Fermin by unidentified persons on March 31, 2009 just after she withdrew the P9 million from a Land Bank of the Philippines branch was unfounded.
NBI agent Gerald Lejeralde, designated to conduct the probe, said evidence as well as testimonies of officials and guards of Land Bank debunked the robbery allegation.
This was corroborated by Dave Alunan, chief of the investigation division of the NBI, who said his agency investigated only the reported robbery.
Fermin reported the theft to the police two weeks after the incident, but Alunan said investigations indicate she may have misappropriated the amount for herself.
He added that Fermin and Mandapat were also recommended to be charged administratively for grave misconduct as a result of the missing fund in their custody.
Lejeralde said hand-writing experts from NBI Manila will arrive soon to examine the signature of San Carlos City Mayor Julier Resuello in the check that was encashed by Fermin.
The signature verifier of the Land Bank endorsed the check for encashment as the signature appeared genuine.
Resuello has earlier claimed that his signature on the check was forged. Meanwhile, Lejeralde also said there is no evidence so far linking the mayor to the cash scam.
It was also found out that Resuello had no signature appearing in the voucher that accompanied the check, a basic requirement that Mandapat should have detected.
The P9 million fund was supposed to be Fermin’s cash advance to pay for unspecified accounts of the San Carlos City government to various creditors.
Meanwhile, the initial findings now point to the possibility that two more questionable checks involving lesser amounts were also encashed on March 16, and likewise without Resuello’s signature on the voucher.
The Commission on Audit is also conducting an investigation on the case, separate from the investigation being conducted by a fact-finding team created by Resuello.—LM
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