Three former officials of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) entered a not guilty plea before the Sandiganbayan on the graft charge linked to the P4.4 billion procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) and face masks from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Second Division of the anti-graft court confirmed that Allan Raul Catalan, Dickson Panti, and Gerelyn Francisco Vergara formally pleaded not guilty to the case.
Other accused individuals, including PS-DBM’s Warren Liong and Pharmally executives Mohit Dargani and Linconn Ong, did not enter a plea as their appeal remains pending on the Sandiganbayan’s earlier decision rejecting their move to dismiss the case.
In its ruling, the court maintained that the charges filed by the Office of the Ombudsman sufficiently established the elements of graft. “An examination of the Information would show that all the elements [of graft charge is] alleged,” the resolution stated, adding that the case “adequately provides the material allegations to apprise the accused of the nature and cause of the charge.”
The Sandiganbayan emphasized, however, that the responsibility to prove conspiracy lies with the prosecution. “The [criminal] information [filed] is valid … However, the burden of proof lies with the prosecution and conspiracy must still be proved with the same quantum of evidence required … proof beyond reasonable doubt,” the court said.
Last month, former PS-DBM officials Christopher Lao and Arnold Dupla also pleaded not guilty to the same charge stemming from the Pharmally transactions.
