Sandiganbayan affirms ruling disallowing ex-PNP chief Razon, others to post bail

The Sandiganbayan has denied with finality the petition of former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Avelino Razon Jr. to post bail for his malversation case in connection with the alleged anomalous repair of police armored vehicles amounting to P385.5 million.

In a 12-page ruling, the Fourth Division denied with finality the motions for reconsideration separately filed by Razon and 14 other police officials seeking to overturn the court’s February 6 decision denying their separate motions to post bail.

“The Court maintains that the prosecution was able to establish strong evidence of guilt on the part of each of the accused,” the Fourth Division said in its ruling.

Also disallowed to post bail were former police Directors Geary Barias and Eliseo dela Paz, former police Superintendents Emmanuel Ojeda, Reuel Labrado, Josefina Dumanew, former police Chief Inspector Annalee Forro and other former police officers namely, Alex Barrameda, Nancy Basallo, Patricia Enaje, Maria Teresa Narcise, Tyrone Ong, Oscar Madamba, Evangeline Bais and Pamela Pensotes.

The case stemmed from the alleged ghost repair of 28 V-150 light armored vehicles in 2007, during Razon's term as PNP chief.

According to the complaint of the Office of the Ombudsman, the contract for the repair was awarded to unregistered private suppliers in June 2007 but no repair took place.

The Fourth Division, in its ruling, said all the investigations done on the matter by various agencies such as the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices (MOLEO), the PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detection (DIDM), PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Commission on Audit (COA) “all yielded that there was irregularities in the pertinent transactions.”

The court noted that despite these irregularities seen at the early stage of the transactions with the unregistered suppliers, the accused “still proceeded with the procurement/repair.”

“They even facilitated the issuance of the purchase/work orders, disbursement vouchers, checks and other reports, wherein they specified that the materials were received in good order and condition, that the objects of purchase were ‘okay’ as to quality and specifications, and that the supporting documents therefore were complete and proper,” the court said.

“Thus, a presumption now exists that the accused resorted to a false narration of facts which was necessary for them to commit malversation,” it added.

Meanwhile, the court has also affirmed its earlier ruling granting bail to two of the co-accused in the case—former police Deputy Director General Reynaldo Varilla and police Director Charlemagne Alejandrino—“for lack of strong evidence.”

“Contrary to its (prosecution) claim that ‘totality of the evidence it presented show strong evidence of guilt’ against the accused-movants, there is nothing in the documentary or testimonial evidence to prove their involvement in the transactions. Thus, they (Varilla and Alejandrino) have been granted bail,” the court said.

Razon and his co-accused are currently detained at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame after the court ordered their arrest in August 2013. —KBK, GMA News