Convicted ex-DepEd exec faces new raps

A former official of the Department of Education who was recently sentenced to a maximum of 18 years in prison for graft and falsification of public documents is facing new charges.

Former Zamboanga peninsula regional director Jesus Nieves should be charged with graft and malversation of public funds in connection with the transfer of money from the trust account of the regional office to a closed account, according to a resolution signed by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales recently and released yesterday .

Morales said regional chief accountant Marilou Tolosa should be included in the charge sheets.

Investigation showed that in August 2007, Tolosa requested the closure of an account of the DepEd regional office with the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB), which was used for a special project funded by the Belgian government.

With the closure of the account, the balance of P157.93 was transferred to the trust account of the DepEd regional office.

However, investigation showed that on Nov. 29 of the same year, Nieves authorized PVB to debit a total of P6,164,424.23 from the trust account and transferred the amount to the closed account.

Nieves and Tolosa also allegedly withdrew the money that was transferred to the supposedly closed account.

The Commission on Audit issued a notice of disallowance, saying the former officials withdrew the money without supporting documents.

“The respondents failed to explain how such public funds were spent and utilized,” the ombudsman resolution read.