Cops eyeing cashier in Mandaluyong rob

The police recommended yesterday to Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur Abalos Jr., the filing of criminal charges against a cashier at the city’s treasurer’s office for the theft of P2.6 million payroll money last week.

This came after findings of the Philippine National Police (PNP) crime laboratory showed that only the fingerprint of cashier Julieta Canonizado, 44, was lifted from the safety deposit vault where the money was stolen.

"What we established was that there was no third party involved. We recommended the filing of charges against Canonizado but it would be Mayor Abalos who would decide on this," said Mandaluyong police chief, Superintendent Jose Gentiles.

Earlier, Abalos asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to join the investigation and prevent a whitewash. The NBI is set to conduct a lie detector tests on Canonizado and her fellow cashiers at the treasurer’s office anytime this week.

Gentiles explained that the city government would act as the complainant against Canonizado. The police, he stressed, will forward the charges to the city’s Prosecutor’s Office.

He clarified, however, that they have no evidence yet to positively pin down Canonizado for the theft of the city hall employees’ salaries and Christmas gifts. – Non Alquitran