New graft indictments vs Lao, Pharmally bosses over P4 billion worth of PPEs
MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Ombudsman issued new graft indictments against former budget officials Lloyd Christopher Lao and Warren Liong, as well as officials of the Pharmally Pharmaceutical company over anomalous sale of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) worth over P4 billion.
“Finding probable cause, let the corresponding information be filed against the persons named below for Violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 before the propert court,” read part of the resolution approved by Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Thursday, January 9, and obtained by Rappler on Friday January 10.
It involves six separate transactions from April to May 2020, where the Department of Budget and Management – Prosecution Service (PS-DBM) bought PPEs such as face masks from the undercapitalized Pharmally, whose directors were eventually found to be interlocking with the network of Michael Yang, former presidential adviser to Rodrigo Duterte. The network still figures in a warehouse that housed seized shabu, which made Yang the subject of an ongoing investigation by the House of Representatives’ quad committee.
Apart from Lao and Liong, the Pharmally officials indicted for graft are Twinkle Dargani, Mohit Dargani, Linconn Ong, Huang Tzu Yen and Lin Weixiong. Lin, a close associate of Yang, has been tagged to the drug trade by the present-time Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). Lin and Yang have never appeared before the quad committee.
Lin is Pharmally’s financial manager, prosecutors earlier said, showing authorization letters by the Pharmally board. Yang was the guarantor but this role has not been found in any paper trail so far. Lin and Yang bought and profited from P1 billion worth of luxury villas in Dubai in the same timeframe as the Pharmally deals, an earlier Rappler investigation found.
This is the second indictment for Lin and the other Pharmally officials, the first one also for graft over allegedly anomalous transactions involving RT-PCR kits. This is the third for Lao, including the RT-PCR indictment with Pharmally, and a separate indictment with the Department of Health for the allegedly irregular inter-agency transfer of COVID-19 pandemic funds.
Liong, who was appointed overall deputy ombudsman after the Pharmally transactions but was eventually suspended over his role in the mess, also faces three separate indictments for falsification by a public officer. This is still related to the sale of PPEs worth P4 billion. Lao faces two falsification indictments over the same issue.
The offenses are all bailable should it reach the court, and should a warrant be issued. Lin and Yang are reportedly overseas. – Rappler.com