DOJ indicts WellMed’s Bryan Sy, whistleblowers over ghost Philhealth claims

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday indicted for estafa one of the owners of a dialysis clinic allegedly involved in a PhilHealth ghost claims scheme.

The DOJ recommended the filing of charges against Bryan Sy, the owner of WellMed Dialysis Center; and Edwin Roberto and Liezel Santos De Leon, the former employees who revealed the supposed scam, for estafa through falsification of official documents.

"The investigating prosecutor found that the WellMed officers conspired in using falsified documents to collect payments from PhilHealth for alleged medical services to patients who were already dead," Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete said in a statement.

Sy, Roberto, and De Leon have been in the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation since Monday afternoon. Roberto and De Leon have expressed willingness to be placed under witness protection.

Their lawyer, former presidential spokesman Harry Roque, earlier said the two would have to be charged in court first if they would wish to be discharged as state witnesses in the future.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said that each of the charges, when filed in court, would be bailable.

"Nothing prevents the accused from applying for bail anytime between the issuance of the resolution finding probable cause and the filing of the information in court," he said in a message.

Meanwhile, the inquest prosecutor referred the case against the seven other respondents—WellMed officers and employees—for preliminary investigation. All these respondents were still at large as of posting time.

Filed by the NBI, PhilHealth's estafa complaint named the following as respondents: WellMed medical director Dr. John Ray Gonzales, chairman Claro Sy; corporate treasurer Alvin Sy; purchasing officer Therese Francesca Tan; administration officer Dick Ong; and physicians Drs. Porshia Natividad and Joemie Soriano.

The NBI has said it would also investigate PhilHealth executives who may have been involved in the alleged scam. —NB/DVM, GMA News