LTO cashier charged for fund mess

CEBU CITY — Ombudsman Aniano Desierto has ordered the preventive suspension and filing of criminal charges against a former cashier of the Land Transportation Office for allegedly pocketing public fund by altering government receipts.

Desierto approved the recommendation of his graft investigators that Farida T. Lucero be immediately charged for malversation of public funds in violation of Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code.

LTO regional legal officer Vicente Gador Jr. said Lucero admitted to him that she intentionally used fictitious names of persons in the collector’s copy of the receipts and that the amount reflected in the collector’s copy was only P40, when the taxpayer’s copy showed amounts of P2,000 to P3,000 each receipt.

Lucero collected payments for the accreditation of importers and dealers of vehicles.

"The acts committed by Lucero involved dishonesty and grave misconduct and warn removal from office, in the light of the facts of the case, as such, Mrs. Lucero should be subject to suspension pending administrative proceedings against her," said Desierto, who added that Lucero should face two separate charges for dishonesty and for malversation of public funds.

Ombudsman-Visayas director Edgardo Canton has already requested Gador to execute his affidavits and submit it to his office immediately to substantiate his investigation report.

LTO Regional Director Porferio Mendoza earlier received information that payments for accreditation of vehicle importers were being pocketed by some unscrupulous LTO personnel, prompting him to instruct Gador to look into it.

Gador said he found no LTO personnel aside from Lucero involved in this illegal activity.

There were seven altered receipts allegedly made by Lucero which were submitted by Gador as evidence against her, which showed that she has pocketed almost P20,000. — Freeman News Service