PDEG chief wants AMLC’s help in probing bank accounts of cops in P6.7-B drug case

The acting chief of the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) is coordinating with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) into whether they could examine the bank accounts of the police officers allegedly involved in the controversial P6.7-billion drug bust last October.

“Kino-coordinate po natin sa AMLC para makita rin natin kung kailangan ang bank accounts niya na masilip natin,” said PDEG Acting Director Police Brigadier General Faro Antonio Olaguera in Oscar Oida and Jun Veneracion’s report on “24 Oras” on Wednesday.

(We’re coordinating this with the AMLC to see if there’s a need to examine their bank accounts.)

“Part of transparency efforts dito sa PDEG...baka mamaya meron silang [they may have] unexplained assets, then let's see,” he said.

Olaguera likewise expressed willingness to sign a bank secrecy waiver, according to the report.

“As the acting director of PDEG and as a lawyer myself, I’m very much willing to sign a waiver sa mga bank accounts ko [for my bank accounts] for purposes of transparency,” he said.

On April 15, a memorandum signed by PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management director Police Major General Eliseo Cruz said 49 PNP officials and personnel were found to have criminal and administrative liabilities in connection with the 990 kilograms of shabu confiscated in October last year.

Most of the officials and personnel were from the PDEG, with the highest ranking official cited as ex-PDEG chief Police Brigadier General Narciso Domingo. He was removed from his post last month.

Olaguera, meanwhile, said newly minted PNP Chief General Benjamin Acorda instructed them to study the possibility of abolishing the 17 PDEG special operating units (SOU) due to the reported involvement of the SOU Metro Manila and CALABARZON in the drug raid.

“They will be consolidated here sa HQ...Kung dito na sila once consolidated na sila and everything is COPLAN-based, madali silang i-monitor natin [They will be consolidated at the headquarters...when they are here and everything is COPLAN-based, they will be easier to monitor],” he added. — Sundy Locus/BM, GMA Integrated News