Gordon: One of Dargani siblings' lawyers worked for Malacañang

The Dargani siblings have hired three more lawyers to help them in the Senate’s investigation into the alleged anomalous purchase of COVID-19 supplies.

One of them had worked at the Office of the Special Assistant to the President (OSAP), Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Senator Richard Gordon said on Wednesday.

In a statement, Gordon said Daryl Ritchie Valles, who was previously affiliated with the OSAP, had already visited the Dargani siblings at the Senate building.

Gordon said Valles lied about his ties to Malacanang when asked by personnel from the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA).

“Before he was allowed entry, we looked into who he was and we found out that per Office of the President directory, he is a Director IV at the Office of the Special Assistant to the President, the position then occupied by Senator Bong Go. He denied being from Malacañang though he admitted he was from Davao,” Gordon said.

A letter shared with the media by Gordon's office showed the Dargani siblings' request for their mother and their legal counsels — Demetri Albert Felix and Valles — to be allowed to visit them at the Senate building where they are detained.

The fourth lawyer has yet to be named by the Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation officials.

The three lawyers will join Roy Kapunan who acted as their legal counsel during the previous hearings of the Senate panel.

A quick web search would also show a directory of the Office of the President confirming the information.

When he was about to leave the Senate premises, Valles was asked again by the OSAA personnel if he was the same person who was affiliated with Malacañang and he “finally” admitted that he was.

He claimed to have resigned from the position in February, Gordon added.

“We do not understand why there was a need for the subterfuge, why there was a need to hide an important fact. Here, the attempt to hide a fact raises more questions as a result,” Gordon said.

“The Darganis are entitled to counsel. That is a right we intend to always honor. They can hire whichever lawyer their money can buy,” he added.

GMA News Online has asked Go if he knew or had previously worked with Valles.

He said it had been three years since he left his post as the Special Assistant to the President.

"I resigned as Special Assistant to the President in 2018. Mahigit na tatlong taon akong hindi konektado sa mga tauhan doon dahil senador na po ako," Go said in a statement.

[I am no longer connected with the people in that office for more than three years because I am already a senator.]

The senator said he had been informed that Valles had already resigned from the Office of the President.

"Nabalitaan ko na nagresign na yang tinutukoy na si Atty. Daryl Valles sa Office of the President noon pa at naka-ilang lipat na ng pinagtatrabahuhan. This can be confirmed by Palace officials or Atty. Valles himself," Go said.

[I heard that Atty. Valles had already resigned from the Office of the President. After which, he got employed several times already. This can be confirmed by Palace officials or Atty. Valles himself.]

In another statement, acting presidential spokesperson and Cabinet secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles said upon validation with the Human Resources Management Office, they found out that Valles “was formerly under the Office of the President, and resigned on 1 March 2021.”

“Further inquiries revealed that upon leaving the Office of the President, Atty. Valles thereafter worked in an office under the House of Representatives,” Nograles added.

Moreover, a letter provided by a source showed that the Darganis had requested Gordon to turn over their personal belongings which are currently held by the OSAA, to their mother.

The Darganis argued that the seized items, which include three cellphones and passports, are “strictly personal” and “do not in any way constitute contraband.”

“We see no legal bases for the continued possession thereof by the members of the OSAA or any other person. Further, the continued possession thereof by persons other than us, the owners, only poses a continuing threat to our privacy,” Mohit and Twinkle said.

On Sunday afternoon, the Dargani siblings were arrested at the Davao International Airport. They were about to ride a chartered plane going to Malaysia despite having standing arrest warrants from the Senate.

Last month, the Senate blue ribbon committee cited the siblings in contempt after they failed to provide the necessary documents being asked by the panel.

The Senate blue ribbon committee is currently investigating the transfer of P42 billion COVID-19 funds from the Department of Health to the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service (PS-DBM).

This includes PS-DBM’s purchase of P8.6 billion worth of face masks, face shields, and PPEs from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation, a firm that only had a P625,000 paid-up capital when it entered transactions with the government.—LDF/NB, GMA News