INATASAN ni Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte ang Office of the Solicitor General na sabihan ang Commission on Audit (COA) na kolektahin ang P140 milyon government funds mula kay Senador Richard Gordon kaugnay ng panunungkulan nito noon bilang chairman ng Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).
Sa kanyang Talk to the People, nitong Lunes, muling binatikos ni Pangulong Duterte si Gordon sa gitna ng isinasagawang Senate committee probe sa government contracts sa ‘diumano’y overpriced COVID-19 supplies.
Sinabi ni Pangulong Duterte na nagpalabas ang COA ng notice of disallowance para sa P140 milyon na pondo sa SBMA mula nang magsilbi si Gordon bilang chairman mula 1992 hanggang 1998.
“I am now asking the Solicitor General to formally ask COA to act on this disallowance to remind it of the constitutional duty to collect the P140 million as stated in the demand letter of SBMA chairperson dated August this year,” ayon kay Pangulong Duterte.
“This has been duly sustained by Supreme Court as final and executory,” dagdag na pahayag ng Chief Executive.
Nauna rito, inakusahan ng Punong Ehekutibo si Gordon ng pagkuha ng P86 million mula sa P140 million na pondo. “Isauli mo…kindly settle, or not, I will personally see to it that a case will be filed against you,” ang pahayag ng pangulo noong nakaraang linggo.
Nitong Lunes, sinabi ni Pangulong Duterte na ang kabiguan ni Gordon na umakto sa disallowance ay isa na aniyang case of malversation.
“Ngayon, hindi mo pa nabayaran. Ang dapat diyan ang case sa COA. Kapag ‘di mo nabayaran within the period demanded of you then it becomes your personal liability and the case goes to Ombudsman. Ang tawag diyan malversation,” dagdag na pahayag nito.
Humingi rin si Pangulong Duterte kay Gordon ng updates sa kaso na ongoing aniya simula pa noong 2016.
“It has been years, yung notice of disallowance of COA over misuse of funds of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority during Gordon’s time as chairman which amounts to P140 million pala,” aniya pa rin. (CHRISTIAN DALE)
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