DOJ vows tighter controls after payroll officer's arrest

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday vowed to strengthen its internal payroll controls following the arrest of a payroll officer accused of diverting public funds. 

In a statement, the DOJ said it is taking the incident seriously and will fully cooperate with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in its probe of Johnston Pascua, an administrative officer in Bulacan.

Pascua was nabbed after he was allegedly caught in the act of funneling the salaries of former prosecutors into his personal bank account.

“The DOJ remains committed to transparency, accountability, and the protection of public resources, and will continue to strengthen internal controls to ensure that a similar situation does not occur in the future,” the department said.

According to an exclusive report by John Consulta on 24 Oras, NBI operatives arrested Pascua at the DOJ office in Bulacan following a confidential report that he had siphoned off the salaries of retired prosecutors, allegedly diverting millions of pesos to his own account.

Authorities said e-wallet bank cards and pieces of jewelry, believed to have been purchased using the proceeds of the alleged scheme, were seized from the suspect.

NBI spokesperson Palmer Mallari said Pascua allegedly found a way to reactivate payroll accounts of resigned and retired DOJ regional prosecutors, then opened bank accounts using the billing details of relatives and friends.

From the benefits credited to the payroll accounts of these reinstated prosecutors, the funds were later transferred to accounts allegedly controlled by Pascua, Mallari added.

The suspect has undergone inquest proceedings and remains under NBI custody.

He is facing multiple charges, including malversation of public funds, qualified theft in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act, violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the Access Devices Regulation Act, computer-related fraud and forgery, and the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act.—MCG, GMA Integrated News