Youth group Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) on Tuesday requested the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to initiate “motu proprio” proceedings to inquire into the bank deposits, covered transactions of personalities involved in the Senate Blue Ribbon hearings relating to the Pharmally controversy.
“It is our view that the executive department, through the Anti-Money Laundering Council, may undertake proceedings against personalities involved in the Pharmally controversy,” said their letter to AMLC Chairperson Benjamin Diokno.
“In the peoples’ quest for accountability amidst the immense impact of the pandemic on the lives of millions of our countrymen, it is only proper for the Council to dig deeper and probe if there were any other violations of our laws. We believe an investigation is in order to determine if indeed there was graft and corrupt practices among those involved,” said the young activists.
The group pointed out violations of Section 3(e) and Section 3(g) of R.A. 3019 due to procurement of almost P12 billion in government contracts to the pharmaceutical corporation despite no previous track record in government procurement, and the price proposals in the said contracts were not a fair price for the goods at the time, deeming it disadvantageous to the government.
Among those petitioned by SPARK for the AMLC to look into are the transactions of former DBM Procurement Service chief Christopher Lloyd Lao, Lincoln Ong, Mohit Dargani, Twinkle Dargani, and Rose Nono Lin.
Adding flavor to the already controversial lopsided transactions, Pharmally executives were found flaunting their newfound wealth, with Rose Nono Lin being the most notorious.
One of her responses to a question regarding her ownership of luxury cars, she simply replied that,: “Natagpuan ko po ‘yan sa garahe po namin dahil hindi po ako mahilig sa sasakyan. Okay na po sa akin basta po tumatakbo at may masakyan po ako papunta po sa opisina.”
SPARK, through its national coordinator John Samuel B. Lazaro, claimed that their initiative to seek an AMLC investigation is their contribution to the investigation already underway in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
“With the predicate offense of violations of R.A. No. 3019 in place, we are confident that there should be no impediment for the AMLC to undertake preliminary proceedings on these personalities,” the group asserted.