PASG wants BoC, oil company officials charged for smuggling
The Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) has recommended to the Department of Justice (DoJ) the filing of criminal charges against four officials of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) along with high-ranking officials of a private oil company, in connection with the multimillion oil smuggling activity at the Subic Bay Free Port early this year.
PASG head Undersecretary Antonio Villar Jr. said the recommendation was an offshoot of the preliminary investigation conducted by PASG chief for operations and National Bureau of Investigation Deputy Director lawyer Edmund Arugay which found the suspects liable for short-changing the government by way of unpaid taxes.
Villar identified those recommended charged as Rolando Valeriano of Trail Blazer Integrated Brokerage Corp.; Noel Aro of RNN Shipping and Transport Agency Corp.; Manuel Tan, manager of Marine Inspection and Testing Services, Inc.; Manuel de Guzman, surveyor of MITSI; Delia Morala, formal principal Customs appraiser of Section 11, Formal Entry Division, BoC, Port of Manila, JoseBernas, BoC examiner-appraiser of Section 11, Formal Entry Division, BoC, PoM; Miguelito Legaspi, document processor, Entry Processing Unit, BoC, PoM; and Julian Gabriel, Customs inspector.
He said the investigation clearly showed that the accused appeared to have worked in connivance to undervalue the total volume of imported oil cargo on board the m/t Port Louis from 26,508.50 metric tons to only 12,657.41 metric tons last Feb. 19.
They also found suspicious that the suspects failed to present the necessary documents related to the oil importation when they were asked to do so at the onset of the investigation, an act seen as evasive in nature.
Arugay said the shipment was actually covered by three bills of lading, not two as reported, and that the cargo vessel chartered by the consignee has a capacity of 37,000 metric tons.
“Assuming without accepting that the alleged documents are correct, then only around one-third of the vessel’s capacity had been utilized. Ironically, too, is the fact that the consignee opted to use a big vessel rather than a smaller one thus incurring a much higher amount of freighter cost,” Arugay said.
Villar said the PASG is determined to bring to court the suspects.
Further investigation is ongoing following reports that the anomaly has been in existence for a couple of years now and therefore could have defrauded the government of billions in unpaid importation taxes.
Another glaring disparity, according to Arugay, was the record for the inspection, which was allegedly completed on Feb. 20 in contrast to the vessel’s arrival on the early morning of Feb. 19 and departure the following day.
“We will pursue this case to the hilt until all those behind this scam is unmasked and put where they rightfully belong — behind bars,” Villar said. Sherwin C. Olaes - Daily Tribune
PASG head Undersecretary Antonio Villar Jr. said the recommendation was an offshoot of the preliminary investigation conducted by PASG chief for operations and National Bureau of Investigation Deputy Director lawyer Edmund Arugay which found the suspects liable for short-changing the government by way of unpaid taxes.
Villar identified those recommended charged as Rolando Valeriano of Trail Blazer Integrated Brokerage Corp.; Noel Aro of RNN Shipping and Transport Agency Corp.; Manuel Tan, manager of Marine Inspection and Testing Services, Inc.; Manuel de Guzman, surveyor of MITSI; Delia Morala, formal principal Customs appraiser of Section 11, Formal Entry Division, BoC, Port of Manila, JoseBernas, BoC examiner-appraiser of Section 11, Formal Entry Division, BoC, PoM; Miguelito Legaspi, document processor, Entry Processing Unit, BoC, PoM; and Julian Gabriel, Customs inspector.
He said the investigation clearly showed that the accused appeared to have worked in connivance to undervalue the total volume of imported oil cargo on board the m/t Port Louis from 26,508.50 metric tons to only 12,657.41 metric tons last Feb. 19.
They also found suspicious that the suspects failed to present the necessary documents related to the oil importation when they were asked to do so at the onset of the investigation, an act seen as evasive in nature.
Arugay said the shipment was actually covered by three bills of lading, not two as reported, and that the cargo vessel chartered by the consignee has a capacity of 37,000 metric tons.
“Assuming without accepting that the alleged documents are correct, then only around one-third of the vessel’s capacity had been utilized. Ironically, too, is the fact that the consignee opted to use a big vessel rather than a smaller one thus incurring a much higher amount of freighter cost,” Arugay said.
Villar said the PASG is determined to bring to court the suspects.
Further investigation is ongoing following reports that the anomaly has been in existence for a couple of years now and therefore could have defrauded the government of billions in unpaid importation taxes.
Another glaring disparity, according to Arugay, was the record for the inspection, which was allegedly completed on Feb. 20 in contrast to the vessel’s arrival on the early morning of Feb. 19 and departure the following day.
“We will pursue this case to the hilt until all those behind this scam is unmasked and put where they rightfully belong — behind bars,” Villar said. Sherwin C. Olaes - Daily Tribune
posted by OlongapoCity Zambales at
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