Ombuds eyes forfeiture of customs guy’s wealth

The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas is initiating a court proceeding to forfeit the alleged ill-gotten wealth of an employee of the Bureau of Customs.

Graft investigation and prosecution officer Carmelle Baybay-Suson found sufficient evidence that the properties owned by German Antopina, document processor at the BOC sub-port in Mactan, may have been illegally obtained.

The anti-graft body said that the properties acquired by Antopina did not match with his income as government employee.

Based on the investigation conducted by the Office of the Ombudsman, Antopina only had a gross annual income of P112,786 in 2005 but he acquired P370,000 worth of properties.

His income in 2006 was P184,171.50 but he acquired a lot and constructed a house worth P415, 935.

The anti-graft body said it is highly questionable that Antopina had an annual income of P268,456 in 2007 and had a loan amounting to P486,000 but still was able to construct a two-storey house worth P1,051,149.

Antopina explained that he got help from his siblings from abroad. However, the anti-graft body said there were no proofs that he received financial assistance.

"First, there is no proof that there were remittances from his siblings abroad in 2007 for the construction of his house; second, the loans he obtained are not enough to cover the disparity of his sources of income vis-a-vis the value of the house he constructed; and third, there is no proof of his savings and the SALN (Statement of Assets Liabilities and Net worth) itself did not reflect a considerable amount that would show that he had savings," the resolution reads.

The case stemmed from a text message received by the Office of the Ombudsman on Antopina’s alleged unexplained wealth.

Acting on the report, the Field Investigation Office of the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas conducted an investigation and found out, based on the SALN that Antopina had submitted, there were undisclosed properties.

Antopina was already placed under six months suspension after he was found guilty of less serious dishonesty for non-disclosure of the acquisition cost of lots in Barangays Looc and Gun-ob, both in Lapu-Lapu City and undervaluing the acquisition cost of his newly constructed house in Gun-ob.