Blue ribbon cites Dargani siblings in contempt over refusal to provide documents

The Senate blue ribbon committee on Tuesday cited in contempt Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation officials siblings Mohit and Twinkle Dargani for failing to provide the necessary documents being asked by the panel.

During the resumption of the panel's inquiry into the purchase of COVID-19 items, Senator Franklin Drilon asked Mohit if they would produce the pertinent documents asked by the panel under the subpoena issued on them.

"This is the basis of the process and I don't want to say this but this could reveal a lot of things about expenses which cannot be supported. That is why we need the subsidiary ledgers, the invoices, the official receipts, the list of sales and the subsidiary ledgers for this purchases, the delivery receipts, sales invoice, all of these..." Drilon said, adding that these are all public records.

Mohit, Pharmally's corporate secretary and treasurer, said they are not refusing to submit the documents, however, they were just invoking their rights as advised by their legal counsel.

Twinkle is the firm's president.

"The company is not refusing to provide these documents. At the same time, these documents are legally accessed through different procedures under the law and we are just invoking our right. I am not refusing," Mohit said.

"It was the advice to us by our legal counsel," he added.

Drilon then said Mohit was refusing to comply with the directive of the Senate regarding the submission of documents.

He then moved to cite the siblings in contempt, which was duly seconded by Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan.

"Mr. Dargani is refusing to comply with the subpoena, the same thing with Twinkle Dargani. They have legal defenses," Drilon said.

"I move that Mr. Dargani and Twinkle Dargani be both declared in contempt for refusal to comply with the subpoena for the production of these documents and let Mr. Mohit Dargani question us in court. We are willing to stand by this," he added.

The motion was approved by the panel, with Gordon directing the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms to "put them under the submission of the Senate."

Drilon further made a motion that directed the Sergeant-at-Arms to physically locate and fetch the siblings and bring them to the Senate premises "right now."

After Drilon's remarks, Senator Risa Hontiveros was about to ask Mohit a question, but the latter suddenly left the Zoom meeting room.

Senate blue ribbon committee oversight office management director-general Rodolfo Quimbo said Mohit's legal counsel was still present in the virtual meeting room.

Drilon, meanwhile, asked for the issuance of a subpoena against Pharmally's chief accountant Jeff Mariano.  —AOL/KBK, GMA News