Sandiganbayan allows ‘Euro General’ Dela Paz to attend daughter’s wedding

The Fourth Division of the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan has allowed former Philippine National Police (PNP) director Eliseo Dela Paz to leave his detention for eight hours to attend his daughter’s wedding.

In resolution dated January 27, 2016, released to the media on Friday, the Fourth Division allowed Dela Paz to leave his detention from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on February 5 to attend the wedding ceremony as well as the reception for his daughter Hannah Mae and her soon-to-be husband Alvin Paul Cotaco.

Both the ceremony and the reception will be held at The Peninsula Manila hotel in Makati City.

The leadership of the PNP Custodial Center, where Dela Paz is currently detained, was directed by the court to provide the necessary security escorts for his transportation to and from the venue of the event in order to “prevent his escape from detention.”

The court said Dela Paz should be back to his detention cell not later than 10:30 p.m. on that same day.

The court also reminded Dela Paz that all the expenses to be incurred in connection with his travel and stay in the event venue shall be fully shouldered by him.

In his motion to leave his detention submitted to the court earlier this month, Dela Paz said that as a father, attending his daughter’s wedding is very important to him and to his whole family.

“The wedding of one’s child is one of our life’s most important and memorable rites in a family,” Dela Paz said in his motion.

This was the third time that the Fourth Division has allowed Dela Paz to leave his detention for family matters.

In October 2014, the court granted Dela Paz a one-day furlough to attend the wake and burial of his mother Dominga Dela Paz. In April 2015, Dela was also granted a 24-hour furlough to attend the wake and burial of his older sister Julita Dela Paz-Gascon.

Meanwhile, just last month, Dela Paz was also granted a two-day furlough for post-operation check-ups after undergoing hernioplasty.

Dela Paz is facing malversation and graft cases before the Fourth Division in connection with the alleged fictitious repair and maintenance of PNP’s V-150 armored vehicles worth P385.48 million in 2007.

Among Dela Paz's co-accused are former PNP chief Avelino Razon Jr., retired police Director Geary Barias and seven other retired police officials. All the accused are detained at the PNP Custodial Center.

In February of this year, the Fourth Division denied the separate bail petitions of Dela Paz, Barias, Razon and their co-accused in the malversation case.

Dela Paz had earlier posted bail before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division for a separate graft case in connection with the 2008 corruption anomaly involving high-ranking PNP officials dubbed as the "Euro Generals."

In the said case, then PNP comptroller Dela Paz was caught by authorities in a Moscow airport carrying cash amounting 105,000 euros or an estimated P7 million.

The amount was allegedly illegally withdrawn from the PNP’s intelligence funds.

Dela Paz and eight other police generals were on their way back to the Philippines after attending an International Police (Interpol) general assembly in St. Petersburg, Russia, when the incident happened. —KG, GMA News