DOJ to probe PNoy, 2 others over DAP

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BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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MANILA – The Department of Justice (DOJ) has ordered an investigation on former President Benigno Aquino III and two other officials in connection with the multibillion-peso Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, in Department Order 749, tasked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to act on the complaint against Aquino, former Budget secretary Florencio Abad and former Budget undersecretary Mario Relampagos.
“The NBI is hereby directed and granted authority to investigate the complaint filed by the Coalition for Investigation and Prosecution represented by Greco Belgica,” Aguirre said.
The group accused Aquino, Abad and Relampagos of malversation of government funds.

Aguirre also ordered NBI director Dante Gierran to form a special task force to investigate the complaint and submit periodic reports to Justice Undersecretary Antonio Kho Jr.
Losing senatorial candidate Belgica on September presented before the DOJ alleged evidences linking Aquino and other former officials to the misuse of P6.5 billion from the P144-billion DAP funds which went to various local projects that were not itemized.
Belgica said in his complaint then that DOJ should look into the alleged discrepancy of P2.6 billion from the DAP spending, and pursue cases of malversation of public funds with aggravating circumstances against Aquino, Abad and Relampagos.
The Office of the Ombudsman had earlier cleared Aquino of any criminal liability over DAP and had dismissed the graft and technical malversation complaints filed against the former president and Abad.

Aquino was accused of using the DAP, which was also dubbed the “presidential pork,” to bribe senators into impeaching then Chief Justice Renato Corona.
However, Aquino and Abad maintained that the DAP was crafted and designed to fast-track public spending by tapping the savings and un-programmed funds of the government.
The Supreme Court in 2014 declared certain provisions of the DAP unconstitutional for violating the doctrine of separation of powers of the executive and legislative branches./PN
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