P7.7M held by retired cop in Moscow is 'contingency fund' – PNP

MANILA, Philippines – The €120,000, or about P7.7 million, carried by Eliseo de la Paz, recently retired Director for Comptrollership of the Philippine National Police (PNP), was a contingency fund for the delegation attending the Interpol's 77th General Assembly in Russia – not ill-gotten money. That was the statement issued on Wednesday by Chief Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome, PNP spokesman to defend his retired colleague, who, along with wife Meeah, was prevented from leaving Moscow on October 11 because Russian airport authorities discovered he was about to carry out more than €10,000 currency limit. "The money they carried was the contingency fund which they can use if they have other needs there," Bartolome said in Filipino. Bartolome added the €120,000 could have included the PNP delegation’s personal money. "Maybe the fund included their personal money that’s why it exceeded the allowable amount," Bartolome said. The PNP, however, has yet to send over the documents to Moscow on Wednesday to prove the contingency fund was not ill-gotten. De la Paz was with some PNP high-ranking officials and their spouses in Russia for the Interpol 77th General Assembly that was held from October 7 to 10 in St. Petersburg. De la Paz and his wife Meeah were held for questioning by Moscow airport officials for failing to produce documents justifying why they were carrying cash beyond the allowable limit of €10,000. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Circular No. 506 (Series of 2006) requires "any person who brings into or out of the Philippines foreign currency, as well as other foreign exchange-denominated bearer monetary instruments, to declare the same in writing and to furnish information on the source and purpose of the transport of such currency or monetary instrument." In a television interview aired over QTV on Tuesday, the PNP Region 9 chief, Director Jaime Caringal, who is also in Moscow, said Dela Paz was released after giving Russian customs officials the proper documentation for the money. Caringal, who is staying in the same hotel with Dela Paz and his wife, admitted they might have to stay a while as the documents from the Philippines will still have to be transcribed and translated into Russian. He said the translation of the documents might take until Wednesday at the latest. Caringal added their visas, which expired last Saturday, could also prolong their stay. - GMANews.TV