The Department of Justice (DOJ) will file Friday the first batch of criminal complaints against officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) in connection with fund irregularities in the handling of the P30 billion interim reimbursement mechanism.
Appearing before a joint committee hearing in the House of Representatives on Thursday, DOJ Undersecretary Adrian Ferdinand Sugay said his office is also wrapping up the complaint against those involved in the anomalies surrounding the procurement of information and technology system.
“My office is finishing the complaint with regards the interim reimbursement mechanism. We want make sure it is filed tomorrow,” Sugay told members of the House Committee on Public Accounts and on Good Government.
However, Sugay did not reveal the identities of Philhealth men who will be facing charges. Cases were expected to be filed before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Another DOJ undersecretary who is a procurement expert has been assigned to help prepare the charges against government and private individuals involved in the IT irregularity.
Sugay said the DOJ found many issues affecting the disbursement of billions of pesos in IRM funds.
“Parameters were stretched too much. With regards to the implementation and the observance of the rules and regulations, special privileges were made available to health care institutions during the pandemic,” he said.
Sugay clarified to congressmen that the DOJ has yet to file a single case before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with its findings on the Philhealth financial scandal.
He revealed that in their investigation of the IRM process, they discovered the actual modus operandi followed by those involved in the near depletion of funds resulting from fraudulent disbursements.
With regards the use of IRM exclusively to address COVID-19 cases, it was discovered that funds were allocated to health care centers and clinics that do not have and are not expected to have such cases.
Among them are dialysis centers that do not cater to COVID cases.
According to Sugay, Philhealth officials and accredited hospitals and medical care centers are guilty of ignoring the rules and guidelines in the utilization of IRM funds.