7 cops face raps as P13.4M seized in raid goes missing
Six members of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) are facing criminal and administrative charges after P13.451 million of the P141.13 million seized as evidence during a raid on a business processing office suspected of being a Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) in Bataan went missing.
The discovery was made only on Nov. 20, more than a year after the money was found in October 2024 in the safes of Central One Bataan PH Inc. in Bagac town and turned over to the CIDG, according to CIDG director Major Gen. Robert Alexander Morico II in a press briefing at Camp Crame on Tuesday.
Morico said the six CIDG officers who handled the evidence supposedly received a fraction of the missing money, resulting in the filing of charges against them for qualified theft, malversation of public funds, opening of closed documents, falsification of public documents, and illegal possession or use of false treasury or bank notes.
Commander implicated
They also face possible administrative charges for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and negligence and violation of evidence-handling protocols. The six are under restrictive custody in Camp Crame.
Another CIDG official, former Anti-Organized Crime Unit (AOCU) chief Lt. Col. Joey Arandia, is also under investigation for possible administrative cases. Arandia is now assigned to the PNP task force to dismantle private armed groups.
Morico said that Arandia, who had been designated to take custody of the money, did not turn it over to the CIDG but brought it home instead.
Arandia, who was replaced as AOCU chief in August, surrendered the nine sealed boxes supposedly containing the P141.13 million to the CIDG on Oct. 21. But a pending court case prevented the opening of the boxes.
“On Nov. 20, the nine boxes were unsealed in front of the legal counsel of [Central One] and it was during this time that a total of P13,451,000 was [found] missing from the supposed P141 million. In its place, inside the boxes, were ‘boodle’ money [blank pieces of paper],” Morico said.
In a phone interview with the Inquirer, Arandia said the missing money was from another batch of evidence that was not in his custody.
