Senate probe finds conspiracy in helicopter deal

MANILA, Philippines - The Senate Blue Ribbon committee has established “conspiracy” among former presidential spouse Jose Miguel Arroyo, former interior secretary Ronaldo Puno and top police officials in the procurement of two helicopters in 2009.

 Blue Ribbon committee chairman Teofisto Guingona III said Arroyo, Puno, former police chief Jesus Verzosa and other police officials acted in concert to fool the Filipino people.

Senators Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Panfilo Lacson and Guingona filed graft charges with the Office of the Ombudsman against Arroyo, Puno, Verzosa and 16 other police officials yesterday.

In a three-page letter to Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, the senators also referred for preliminary investigation the findings of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee.

Commissioner Miguel Coronel, Assistant Secretary Oscar Valenzuela and Director Conrado Sumanga, members of the Napolcom oversight committee; police generals Luizo Ticman, Ronald Roderos, Romeo Hilomen, and Leocadio Santiago who comprised the PNP negotiation committee; police colonels Ermilando Villafuerte and Roman Loreto, legal officers of the bids and awards committee who were present during the negotiation conference and police officers Herold Ubalde, Job Nolan Antonio, Edgar Pataan, George Piano and Crisostomo DL Garcia were also named respondents in the case.

“Conspiracy exists when two or more persons come to an agreement concerning the commission of a felony and decide to commit it. It is well entrenched in our jurisprudence that conspiracy need not be proved by direct evidence,” the complaint read.

The senators added that proof of previous agreement to commit the crime is not essential to establish conspiracy.

Arroyo and company were accused of conspiring to defraud the government of more than P62 million through the “fraudulent, anomalous, and irregular acquisition” of two secondhand light operational helicopters from the Manila Aerospace Products Trading Corp. (MAPTRA) which were passed off as brand new.

The senators said Arroyo, Puno, Verzosa and other PNP officials and officers took advantage of their official positions in defrauding the government “by recommending and approving the acquisition by the PNP of two helicopters represented as brand new, knowing fully well that said two helicopters were secondhand and pre-owned.”

The graft charges against the respondents were based on the testimony of LionAir Inc. president Archibald Po that Arroyo was the owner of the secondhand helicopters.

“Archibald Po in his original affidavit and supplemental affidavit categorically pointed to the former first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo as the true owner of the five helicopters. Analyzing closely the flow of events from the time of the involved helicopters’ importation by LionAir, Inc. up to the time of its anomalous and fraudulent sale by MAPTRA to the PNP, we find the testimony of Po to be clear and convincing – thus worthy of credence,” the senators said.

Guingona, Lacson, and Pimentel also urged Morales to investigate the possible criminal liabilities of Negros Occidental fifth district Rep. Ignacio “Iggy” Arroyo.

They said Iggy tried to “cover up” his brother’s ownership and participation in this anomalous transaction during the Senate Blue Ribbon committee’s investigation.

‘Another round of Arroyo bashing’

Arroyo, meanwhile, said he was not surprised that the Senate Blue Ribbon committee recommended the filing of charges against him, which he described as “another round of Arroyo bashing.”

“This does not come as a shock. This has been their (senators) finding even before they started the probe. The whole investigation has not been in aid of legislation but a charade to indict us without any solid piece of evidence,” Arroyo said in a statement.

He said the Senate committee pointed to him as the real owner of the helicopters based on “mere say-so of one person whose testimony even contradicted with their (senators) other main witness.”

“Sen. Guingona said there is conspiracy in the deal but how can there be conspiracy when no testimony was made that I talked to the police or used undue advantage or influence for them to purchase the helicopters?” Arroyo said. With Paolo Romero, Aurea Calica, Cecille Suerte Felipe