(Eagle News) — For Senator Panfilo Lacson, the former Special Action Force officials who were implicated in the SAF fund mess were only “forced” to return the P37 million of the full amount.
“Kung walang threat na magfifile sa Ombudsman, would they even think of returning or distributing? Mukhang hindi,” Lacson said in an interview with reporters on Tuesday, May 22, the same day his panel held a hearing on the controversy.
Lacson noted that the former officials kept the funds for “long.”
He said if the money was received in the second quarter of 2016, “bakit di mo agad pinamigay?”
“So would that establish intent to misappropriate?” he asked.
“Yan ang di maipaliwanag. Pinipilit nating tanungin saan galing ang P37 million? Parang afterthought talaga iyan. At parang it was forced on them na ilabas nila,” he said.
Earlier, former SAF budget officer Senior Supt. Andre Dizon admitted in the hearing that the funds were with him even after he was relieved from SAF.
He said he received an order from former SAF chief Director Benjamin Lusad to release the money only in May 2018.
But Lusad denied this, saying he only trusted his staff with the money.