DOF unit files criminal charges against Customs employee

MANILA, Philippines - The Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS), a unit of the Department of Finance (DOF) filed on Tuesday criminal and administrative charges against Zsae Carrie Clyne de Guzman, an employee of the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

In its complaint, DOF-RIPs alleged that De Guzman violated the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act or Republic Act 3019, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Official and Employees and the Revised Penal Code for falsification and perjury.

The DOF unit said De Guzman, Chief of Intellectual Property Rights Division (IPRD) of the BOC, who previously worked with the Public Attorney’s Office, has a gross monthly salary of P19,168.00.

“Despite this modest salary however, she had already managed to purchase a Honda CRV, acquire an extensive jewelry collection, and make bank deposits and private money placements amounting to hundreds of thousands of pesos within only three months into her stint with the BOC,” De Guzman said.

Only nine months in the job, De Guzman had increased her net worth by P17 million, the DOF unit said.

Upon further investigation, RIPS discovered that De Guzman has also made misleading and untruthful declarations in her December 2006 and March 2007 Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs).

De Guzman said she failed to disclose an acquired parcel of land in Cuevasville, Cavite and had inflated the value of her Cavite and Parañaque properties to P26 million from only P10 million.

The DOF unit believes that De Guzman inflated the value of her assets to conceal and shield her unexplained wealth from public scrutiny.

Pending a decision on the DOF’s complaint, the Office of the Ombudsman may preventively suspend De Guzman for a period of not exceeding six months. 

“A guilty verdict against De Guzman will result in her dismissal from the government service and in accordance with R.A. 1379, in the forfeiture in favor of the government of her illegally amassed wealth,” the DOF unit said in a statement yesterday.