Team formed to probe P200-M CARP fund mess

MANILA, Philippines - Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales announced the formation yesterday of another special team of prosecutors and graft investigators that would look into the alleged misuse of some P200 million in Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) funds in 2007 and 2008.

The panel will investigate former Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) secretary and now AA Kasosyo party-list Rep. Nasser Pangandaman, Undersecretary Narciso Nieto, Director Teresita Panlilio, chief accountant Angelita Cacananta, budget officer Ronald Venancio, cashier Nilda Baui, three notaries public, three certified public accountants, and 24 private individuals, including pork barrel fund scam whistleblower Benhur Luy, regarding the alleged grant of government money to questionable nongovernment organizations (NGOs).

Morales said the panel composed of five lawyers should hear the formal complaint filed in connection with the alleged misuse of government money allotted for agribusiness development under the CARP.

The team has been tasked to conduct a preliminary investigation and an administrative adjudication of the criminal and administrative charges filed by the Office of the Ombudsman’s Field Investigation Office (FIO) after it completed its case buildup, which commenced even before Luy exposed the so-called pork barrel fund anomaly.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) reported that Luy and Merlina Suñas, another whistleblower in the pork barrel scam, would be covered by the Witness Protection Program (WPP).

Luy earlier exposed a syndicate led by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles that allegedly skimmed about P10 billion from the pork barrel fund, which is officially known as Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), of lawmakers over the past 10 years.

Napoles, owner of JLN Corp., has been accused by her distant relative and former trusted assistant Luy and Suñas of being the brains behind the alleged racket involving the diversion of PDAF of several lawmakers into dummy NGOs purportedly for ghost projects.