Ombudsman suspends Customs, BIR officials
THE Department of Finance has secured suspension order against officers from the Bureaus of Internal Revenue and Customs as it further stepped up its anti-corruption drive this year.
Customs officers Jaime Maglipon, Aniceto Sanchez, Jr., Solomon Sumpo, and Alfredo Opao, Jr. and BIR revenue officer Emily Singson were all ordered suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman.
The Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS), the Department of Finance’ anti-corruption unit, filed the cases against the respondents in 2006, but only received copies of the decision and resolution last month.
BIR Revenue Officer IV Singson was found guilty of less serious dishonesty for failure to declare properties in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) as required by Section 8 of Republic Act (RA) 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards of Public Officials and Employees.
She was ordered suspended for six months without pay.
In a decision dated August 22, 2011, then Over- all Deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro, Jr. said Singson failed to clearly state in her SALN her owning of four agricultural lands worth P95,000.
As to the four Customs officers, an Ombudsman Memorandum said probable cause were established to charge them with grave misconduct and dishonesty and that they should be placed “under preventive suspension pending the conduct of administrative adjudication of the case against them.”
DOF-RIPS said the new Ombudsman, Conchita Carpio-morales, is cleaning her dockets of old cases, resulting in the late arrival of cases for implementation.
The case stemmed from the alleged conspiracy of Maglipon, chief of the warrant and motor vehicle office under the Office of the Commissioner, together with Sanchez, Sumpo and Opao, for allowing two luxury vehicles to enter Port of Zamboanga without the collection of proper duties.
The memorandum stated that two certificate of payments, indicating an aggregate amount of P123,750, was signed by Sumpo and Opao to cover import entry 0086-03 and 0087-03, which contained a BMW and a Mercedes Benz. Sumpo is a Customs examiner, while Opao is a cashier.
“However, records revealed that Import Entry 0086-03 was issued by Customs to JAPCOR Auto Supply covering truck parts. Import Entry 0087-03, On the other hand, was issued by Customs to Mega Plywood Corp. covering plywood,” the memorandum stated.
“Allegedly, thus, at the time of the issuance of the certificates of payment on February 21, 2003, the aforementioned import entries were not yet in existence inasmuch as the true entries were made on June 23 and 25, 2003, respectively,” it added.