Justice department orders NBI to investigate Aquino, Abad for alleged misuse of DAP funds

November 24, 2017

The justice department has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Friday to investigate former President Benigno Aquino III and two other former officials in connection with alleged misuse of discretionary funds, particularly the multi-billion peso Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) implemented during his term.

In a department order released Friday, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II directed the NBI to investigate the complaint filed by Coalition for Investigation and Prosecution led by Greco Belgica against Aquino, former Budget Secretray Florencio Abad and former budget undersecretary Mario Relampagos, including the disbursement of DAP funds to senators and members of the House of Representatives.

“The NBI, through Director Dante A. Gierran, is hereby directed and granted authority to investigate the complaint filed by Coalition for Investigation and Prosecution represented by Greco Belgica, et. al. against former President Benigno Aquino III et. al. for malversation ,”Aguirre said.

Aguirre directed Gierran to form a special task force to investigate the complaint and submit periodic reports to Justice Undersecretary Antonio Kho Jr.

Last September, Belgica’s group submitted to the justice department evidence allegedly showing misuse of the DAP funds, which the Supreme Court had voided and declared unconstitutional.

Belgica is seeking an investigation on the alleged discrepancy of P2.6 billion from the DAP spending, and pursue cases of malversation of public funds  against Aquino, Abad and Relampagos.

The documents claim P6.5 billion from the P144-billion DAP funds of the previous administration was allocated to various local projects that were not itemized in the budget. DMS