Ombudsman: ex-Palace exec in fund mess dipped hand in DOJ appointments, too

Former Presidential Legislative Liaison Office Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin, who has been linked to an alleged kickback scheme involving fund insertions in the proposed 2025 national budget, also meddled in presidential appointments within the Department of Justice (DOJ), Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said Wednesday.

Remulla made the statement in response to queries on whether the Ombudsman will probe allegations by former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo that Bersamin received billions in kickbacks from anomalous flood control projects.

“Dati pa ‘yan, nasa radar ko ‘yan. Kasi, marami na nababalita na activities ‘yan. May naranasan kami sa DOJ na siya, tila, ang nakialam sa appointment process.

(That’s been going on for a while; he’s been on my radar. There have been many reports about his activities. We experienced something at the DOJ where he appeared to have interfered in the appointment process.)

Remulla suspected that Bersamin had intervened in the appointment of officials during the former’s tenure in the DOJ.

“Some people were not appointed accordingly, or were appointed (by Malacañang) without even consulting us on that matter. At ang tingin namin (It is our view that) he had something to do with it,” Remulla added.

GMA Integrated News is seeking Bersamin's response to Remulla's allegations and will post his response as soon as it is made available. 

Remulla, who was the former DOJ secretary, said that Bernardo’s allegations—that he used to work with two then undersecretaries Bersamin and Trygve Olaivar of the Department of Education in moving huge amounts of money using armored vans—are credible.

Bersamin is reportedly the grandnephew of Lucas Bersamin, who resigned as Executive Secretary on Monday.

The former used to work as an undersecretary in the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO), which serves as the executive branch’s main coordinating body with Congress. It holds office inside the Malacanang complex.

Bersamin and Olaivar have reportedly resigned from their post.

“They were working together in practically laundering money in the narration of Bernardo. That's already a major offense being committed. They transfer the money from one armored van to another, and leave the one armored van empty to be filled again with money,” Remulla said.

Even with such “horrifying” accounts of the alleged kickback scheme, the Ombudsman would still have to look at the evidence, Remulla said.

“Nakaka-pangilabot ‘yung ganitong mga kwento (Those tales are really horrifying.) I think it is believable. But of course, we will also look at the other evidence available,” he said.

He said graft investigators are always on the lookout for possible corruption cases the moment credible allegations are made.

“When you set off alarm bells,  we start looking at the people already. Regardless of who they are, if there is an allegation, we look at the possibility that it could be true because we can investigate motu propio,” he said.

“But for preliminary investigation to proceed, you would need a sworn statement of the allegations," Remulla added.—MCG, GMA Integrated News