Tiniyak ng Department of Justice (DoJ) na tatalima ito sa mga rekomendasyon ng Commission on Audit (CoA) kaugnay sa paggamit ng kanilang mga pondo.

“The finance people at the DoJ undertake to comply with all the recommendations of the CoA and assure that all public monies are accounted for,” sinabi ni Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra kahapon.

“As new SOJ (Secretary of Justice) I will make sure that this will be so,” idinagdag ni Guevarra, naupo bilang justice secretary noong Abril 11.

Inilabas na ng CoA ang 2017 Annual Audit Report (AAR) ng DoJ at nagbabala kaugnay sa paggamit nito ng mga pondo.

Kinabibilangan ito ng P621.6 milyon na undocumented transfer of funds sa ATM payroll account nito sa Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) sa halip na ibalik ito sa national treasury; unauthorized accounts na nagkakahalaga ng P65 milyon sa LBP; at P27 milyon halaga ng payroll na walang supporting documents.

Itinanggi na ni dating Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II na may kinalaman siya sa diumano’y mga iregularidad na nadiskubre ng CoA.

“I have no participation whatsoever in the transactions subject matter of the Annual Audit Report released by the Commission on Audit (CoA),” sinabi ni Aguirre.

“No signature was ever required of the undersigned in connection with the said transactions,” ipinunto niya.

“These transactions did not reach the knowledge of the undersigned,” diin niya.

Ipinaliwanag din ng dating DoJ chief na “these transactions involved operations between the Personnel Division and the Accounting Division.”

“They are all below my level as Secretary of Justice,” dugtong niya.

-Jeffrey G. Damicog