Palace says Executive branch played role in Dargani siblings' arrest

Malacañang on Monday said Sunday's arrest of Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corporation officials Mohit and Twinkle Dargani in Davao City by Senate security personnel should also be credited to the Executive department.

The Dargani siblings were arrested by the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms as they were about to leave the country for Malaysia.

The two has been cited in contempt by the Senate blue ribbon committee, which has been investigating Pharmally's transactions with the government through the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service (PS-DMB).

Mohit is Pharmally’s corporate secretary and treasurer while Twinkle is the firm’s president.

"I don't think it can be done without the cooperation of the Executive department. The airport is under the Executive branch of government," Roque said in a press briefing.

"The Executive branch could have allowed them to proceed with their flight kung gugustuhin [if it wanted to]...the Senate could have been ignored if the Executive wanted to, but we recognized the contempt powers of the Senate," he added.

Senators previously learned that former Budget Undersecretary Christopher Lloyd Lao, former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang, Pharmally officials, and other suppliers of PS-DBM had no income tax records with the Bureau of Internal Revenue or had under-declared their taxable incomes in the past year.

Senate blue ribbon panel chairman Senator Richard Gordon earlier said the Dargani siblings will be detained at the Senate "until they tell the Filipino people the whole truth." —KBK, GMA News