PNP euros still in Russia; De la Paz may have to pay up

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday said that it cannot force Russian authorities to hand over copies of the incident report on the “Euro Generals" scandal. Radio DZBB quoted PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome as saying that the only thing that they could do is request Russian authorities to provide them with a complete report about the confiscation of almost P7 million in undeclared cash from retired police comptroller Eliseo De la Paz. On October 9, De la Paz and his wife were barred from leaving Russia after customs officials caught the police official carrying undeclared 105,000 euros or P6.93 million. At first, De la Paz and the PNP claimed that the amount was part of the contingency funds for the PNP delegates who attended the 77th International Police Assembly in St. Petersburg, Russia. He later changed his statement to reveal that the amount was part of the intelligence funds for the procurement of spy equipment. Meanwhile, Bartolome also confirmed that despite their continuous coordination with the Russian government, the money has not yet been wire-transferred to the PNP’s bank account. However, he earlier clarified that the PNP is not blaming anyone. “Perhaps there are certain peculiarities in the policies and procedures of the Russian authorities. Policies and procedures vary from one country to the other," he said in a previous report. Bartolome also said that if the funds were not returned, the PNP would oblige De la Paz to pay up. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV