Ombudsman junks graft cases vs BOC officials

MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed graft cases filed by a suspected illegal rice importer against officials of the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

The ombudsman junked Bold Bidder Marketing and General Merchandise’s complaint against Customs Commissioner John Sevilla; Deputy Commissioners Maria Edita Tan, Agaton Uvero, Ariel Nepumoceno and Jessie Dellosa, and BOC-Port of Batangas acting district collector Ernesto Benitez Jr.

In its complaint, Bold Bidder said the BOC officials refused to release the firm’s rice shipments despite the issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction by a Lemery, Batangas court on Dec. 10, 2013.

The BOC had filed smuggling cases against Bold Bidder representative Ivy Souza and the firm’s customs brokers Denise Kathryn Rosaroso, John Kevin Cisneros, Francis Rudolph Forneste and Elbert Lusterio for importing over 12.8 million kilos of rice without a permit. – Zinnia dela Peña, Evelyn Macairan