THE Commission on Audit has affirmed the liability of 18 officials of the Commission on Elections for filing claims for fictitious travel expenses in 2008 and 2009 totaling P8.265 million.
However, the COA granted the petition of former COMELEC Finance Services Department (FSD) director Eduardo Mejos to be dropped from the list of those held liable after he proved that none of the questioned documents passed through his desk for evaluation.
In a five-page decision, COA Chair Michael G. Aguinaldo and Commissioner Roland C. Pondoc noted that Mejos was only included because of his position as head of the FSD but there was no evidence presented that he had active participation in the disbursement of public funds.
“There was no dispute that Mr. Mejos did not sign nor counter-sign any of the supporting documents. The documents pertaining to the fictitious transactions did not pass through his office,” the COA Commission Proper said.
Records showed poll officers filed reimbursements for supposed travels to Tawi-tawi for voters’ registration. The payees were identified as election officers Jacob Malik Usad, Julieta Santos, Rudy Datu Verdeprado, and Sabdani Bakri.
Auditors red-flagged the transactions following the discovery of discrepancies in the documents that showed the trips were physically impossible.
“The travel was fictitious and fraudulent due to overlapping of the period of travel and duplication or double payment and triple claim of travelling expenses,” the COA noted.
Based on the 54 notices of disallowance issued, those who were held liable were COMELEC executive directors Jose M. Tolentino Jr. and Bartolome J. Sinocruz Jr.; deputy executive director Estrella P. de Mesa; budget officers Thelma Sales and Mind Zita Jongko; IT officers Norma Galutera and Aida Fernandez.
Accounting clerk Apolonio Escat Jr.; acting provincial election supervisor for Tawi-tawi Abu Talipan; then Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) regional election director Ray Sumalipao; chief accountant Elizabeth Balbacal; administrative aide Joselito Blas; director Gideon de Guzman; accounting clerk Emma Oltiveros; and the four election officers.
“These fictitious travel claims were successfully transacted or disbursed through forgery of the signatures of the employees concerned in the disbursement vouchers and other supporting documents. These fraudulent transactions gave rise to the illegal disbursement of government funds; thus, were disallowed in audit,” the COA said.
COMELEC Resolution No. 8487 specifically designated De Mesa, Sinocruz, and Tolentino as counter-signing authorities for checks up to P500,000 while Fernandez and Galutera were the signing authorities for check issuance in any amounts.
