MMDA personnel arrested due to 'salary deduction scheme'

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday said some employees under its payroll division were arrested over a salary deduction scheme.

In a statement, the MMDA said the agency discovered the scheme last week.

“These unscrupulous personnel found a way to manipulate the computerized payroll system, unlawfully took small amounts from the salaries of targeted employees, and diverted those amounts to their own accounts,” the MMDA said.

MMDA chairperson Romando Artes filed a complaint while MMDA general manager Procopio Lipana led the arrest of the implicated employees. 

Inquest proceedings were conducted against the concerned employees, the MMDA said.

“As further investigations are being conducted, a deeper conspiracy was exposed, with the alleged involvement of other employees,” the MMDA said.

While formal complaints are being prepared, these employees were placed under preventive suspension and their work computers were secured, according to the MMDA.

An internal audit and investigation is currently ongoing and safety measures are already implemented to prevent similar incidents in the future, the agency said.

The MMDA declined to share more information about the incident as it may compromise the ongoing probe. —VAL, GMA Integrated News