Lacson to file graft, economic sabotage raps vs. Faeldon

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Sunday said he will file graft and economic sabotage charges against former Customs commissioner Nicanor Faeldon this week.

In an interview on radio dzBB, Lacson said that Faeldon violated the Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and Republic Act No. 10845 or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.

"Siya ang commissioner, siya lang pwede mag-utos na i-release yung smuggled rice. Anyway tama na… ipa-file sa kanya RA 3019 meaning Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act yung violation, at tsaka yung economic sabotage doon sa RA 10845 na Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016," Lacson said.

"Ito 'yung common description sa kanya ng lahat ng taga-Customs na nakausap ko: ipokrito. Sabi niya ''Yan 'yung napaka-ipokritong tao. Alam naman naming lahat kung magkano natatanggap sa bawat container, tanggi pa siya nang tanggi at lumalaban pa'," he added.

The senator is confident that Faeldon would be the first person who will be convicted under RA 10845.

"Bagong bagong batas ito. Wala pang naimbestigahan dito. Ako nga china-challenge ako ni Senator Cynthia Villar, sabi niya nagpasa tayo ng batas, wala naman, hindi naman na-implement. So nang nabuo namin yung kaso, sinabi ko sa kanya, Senator Cynthia, ito yung regalo ko sa batas na pinaghirapan mong ipasa," he added.

"At ito walang kawala ito. Ito yung test case na ipa-file nating kaso. Ito ang logical conclusion nito sisiguraduhin ko sa iyo mapupunta sa conviction kasi documented lahat ito," Lacson said.

Lacson said he has enough evidence including documents and sworn affidavits that will be sufficient to back the charges that he will file against Faeldon.

Lacson said his legal team is also studying Faeldon's possible defense in the case.

"Suffice it to say, sabihin ko sa iyo na ang dokumento at sworn affidavit na pinanghahawakan namin ay enough hindi lang sa probable cause pero pinlug namin yung mga posibleng magiging depensa niya sa pamamagitan ng mga official record, at ito'y mga certified true copies ng lahat, I’ll bring it to its logical conclusion which is conviction. He asked for it, I’m giving it to him," he added.

He said that his office has asked for additional documents and affidavits to make sure that the cases they will file against Faeldon will not be dismissed.

Meanwhile, Faeldon's legal counsel and spokesperson Jose Diño said in a statement that Lacson still has "zero evidence" against the former Customs commissioner.

"There he goes again, nang-la-lacson na naman, meaning, malicious-falsities, for media mileage, which he cannot prove," Diño said.

He said Lacson was just diverting the public's attention from his "miserable inability to prove his malicious-falsities," adding that the Senator is just "floating equally-false, wild and laughable allegations on agricultural products smuggling and economic sabotage."

"Indeed, his hallucinations know no bound," Diño added.

Diño said Faeldon "wholeheartedly welcomes any and all court cases to be filed against him, which he will squarely address at the proper time."

"Hopefully, this time Sen. Lacson has the evidence, not just empty words, to support his fake accusations," Diño added.

On August 23, Lacson in his "Kita-Kita" privilege speech accused Faledon of "promoting" corrupt practices in the Bureau of Customs, adding that the former rebel officer received a P100-million payoff as a welcome gift shortly after he assumed the post in 2016.

Faeldon has filed an ethics complaint against Lacson, for accusing him of receiving bribes. —Marlly Rome Bondoc/ALG, GMA News