MANILA, Philippines --- The Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) has ordered the filing of graft and corruption charges against retired Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Jesus Verzosa and seven others before the Sandiganbayan for the alleged anomalous purchase of 75 defective police rubber boats worth more than P131 million in 2008.

OMB Chair Conchita Carpio Morales had the charges filed after denying the motion for reconsiderations (MR) filed by the respondents in a 34-page resolution issued last February 12.

The anti-graft chief affirmed the earlier resolution finding probable cause to indict Verzosa, Deputy Director General Jefferson Soriano, Director Luizo Ticman, Director Ronald Roderos, Director Romeo Hilomen, Chief Superintendent Herold Ubalde, Deputy Director General Benjamin Belarmino Jr., and Chief Superintendent Villamor Bumanlag for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019)

All respondents, except Roderos, filed separate MRs.

Morales declared that the arguments presented by the respondents in their motions “are a mere rehash of their initial arguments set forth in their counter-affidavits which we already considered, weighed, and resolved before we rendered the resolution sought to be considered.”

The case stemmed from the complaint submitted last year by the OMB’s Mllitary and other Law Enforcement Offices (MOLEO).

MOLEO stated that the PNP entered into four separate supply contracts all dated 18 December 2009 with three suppliers, namely; Enviroaire for 93 units of outboard motors (OBMs) and 10 units of police rubber boats (PRBs); Geneve for 41 units of PRB, and Bay Industrial for 10 units of PRB.

Upon delivery of the initial batch of PRBs and OBMs, the PNP Maritime Group “discovered various deficiencies in these equipment, which make their use risky to end-users.”

The maritime police also said “the boats and engines were not functional when fitted together, thus, unusable for the disaster and relief operation efforts.

The MOLEO Investigators said government suffered losses of up to P131 million from the irregular purchase contract.