Pharmally's Ong, Mohit Dargani turned over to Pasay City Jail

Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation officials Linconn Ong and Mohit Dargani were transferred to the Pasay City Jail on Monday.

Dargani and Ong, who were accompanied by the officers of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, arrived at the facility at around 1:50 p.m.

Based on Jhomer Apresto's report on Super Radyo dzBB, Dargani and Ong were not cuffed when they arrived at the Pasay City Jail.

In a statement, Senator Richard Gordon asserted anew the Senate blue ribbon committee, which he chairs, is “not bereft of compulsory processes to ensure that the institution of the Senate is respected, its honor preserved and its integrity maintained whole.”

“Mr. Dargani’s and Mr. Linconn’s continuous lying, continuous refusal to answer questions truthfully and forthrightly, and the constant 'palusot' have crossed the line,” he said.

“The Senate in preserving and protecting the institution has decided to transfer them to the Pasay City jail,” he added.

Gordon said Dargani and Ong’s continuing presence in the Senate premises also had put a strain to an overstretched OSAA, whose primary function is to protect the Senate building, secure the people coming in and out, especially the employees, and because of the pandemic.

“The Senate and public interest demand the truth of the overpricing of supplies, and the favoritism granted a company (Pharmally), whose capitalization was only P625,000, contracts amounting to billions of pesos. If we do not go into the bottom of this scandal, we will not be able to hold accountable those responsible; and, the repetition of such a dastardly deed becomes a high probability still,” he said.

On Sunday, Senate President Vicente Sotto III signed the commitment order that directs the detention of Ong and Dargani at the Pasay City Jail.

Ong is Pharmally’s director while Dargani is its corporate secretary and treasurer.

Last Friday, the Senate blue ribbon committee ordered Dargani and Ong's transfer to the city jail after they failed to provide the committee the whereabouts of the boxes containing the documents related to the firm’s financial statements.

The Senate blue ribbon committee is currently investigating the transfer of P42 billion COVID-19 funds from the Department of Health to the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM).

This includes PS-DBM’s purchase of P8.6 billion worth of face masks, face shields, and PPEs from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation, a firm that only had a P625,000 paid-up capital when it entered transactions with the government.

The Senate panel will continue its investigation on Friday. —KBK, GMA News