Villar scolds DOJ over pending cases vs. garlic cartel

A Justice department official on Monday got a scolding from Senator Cynthia Villar regarding the failure to prosecute garlic importers allegedly involved in a cartel.

During a hearing on garlic prices, Villar, chair of the Senate committee on agriculture and food, said she was given a copy of a 2014 fact-finding report produced by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office for Competition.

The copy of the report she obtained from a journalist, however, did not contain the annex, which supposedly lists down the names of those involved in the garlic cartel.

“The garlic cartel controls 75 percent and the names of those involved in the cartel is there ... Tinatago niyo ba 'yung complete report para hindi namin malaman sino-sino nakalista doon?” Villar told DOJ Assistant Secretary George Ortha II.

“I-publish natin listahan nila para matapos na problema na ’to at tanggalin ito ng BPI (Bureau of Plant Industry) para hindi nako maghi-hearing,” she said.

Villar implied that DOJ and BPI officials may be benefiting from cartels, as those involved, she said, are earning P1 billion to P2 billion a month by overpricing garlic.

“Bakit niyo tinatago ang annex? Kasi ayaw niyo mag-demanda? Malakas sa inyo 'yung cartel? Remember, they are very rich ... Bakit hindi lalagyan ang DOJ at BPI, , ako may P1 billion at P2 billion a month, kahit sino sa inyo malalagyan ko na. Ganyan ang rice eh,” she said.

Ortha said the fact-finding report was forwarded to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which conducted further investigation into the cartels. The NBI, then, filed a complaint that has since been pending with the National Prosecution Service.

“After three years pending pa rin? Huwag niyo na ’ko paikutin. Pagod na pagod na’ko sa kakapaikot ... I want to follow up that case,” Villar told Ortha.

Villar also chided BPI officials for allowing those listed in the fact-finding report to be given import permits in the last three years.

“Ibig sabihin nangyayari itong cartel na’to hindi nila alam? Either they are part of it or they are incompetent,” she said. — VDS, GMA News