Blue Ribbon taps NBI in search for missing witness Mago

0
112

JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra yesterday disclosed that agents of the National Bureau of investigation (NBI) are now tracking the whereabouts of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation regulatory affairs head Krizle Grace Mago who have gone missing after disclosing her company tampered with the production dates of the face shields delivered for the Department of Health.

“The NBI has directed its intelligence and regional service personnel to help in locating Krizle Mago of Pharmally,” Guevarra told reporters. 

Prior to this, the Senate Blue Committee which is investigating alleged anomalies in the purchase of face masks and face shields by the government from Pharmally, had written NBI officer-in-charge Eric Distor seeking assistance in locating Mago.

“The Chairman and the Committee is worried as to the safety of Ms. Krizle Grace U. Mago of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation, a resource person in our investigation, after her damaging testimony against probable co-conspirators. In this regard, the Chairman requests the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to help us look for her,” the letter read. 

During the committee hearing last September 24, Mago admitted to changing the production dates in the product certificates of face shield that were repacked by Pharmally in its warehouse for the DOH from August to September.

She said the instruction came from Pharmally corporate secretary Mohit Dargani, which the latter denied.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has sought assistance from the National Bureau of Investigation to look for Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corp. executive Krizle Grace Mago, who has gone incommunicado since testifying virtually at the Sept. 24 Senate hearing.

In a letter to Atty. Eric B. Distor, officer in charge at the office of the NBI director, the Blue Ribbon’s director-general Rodolfo Noel S. Quimbo asked NBI to provide them with any information they could turn up on the whereabouts of Mago.

“The chairman and the Committee is worried as to the safety” of Mago, wrote Quimbo, “after her damaging testimony against probable co-conspirators” in the case being built by Senate probers against Pharmally and officials of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) and the Department of Health (DOH).

On Sunday, after confirming that Mago had gone missing despite informing him Friday night she was already “in touch” with Blue Ribbon staffers and will decide shortly on the offer of enrolment under the Witness Protection Program, Blue Ribbon chief Sen. Richard J. Gordon expressed concern for her safety.

Mago stunned senators on Friday when she confirmed the bombshell dropped by a witness – a former Pharmally warehouseman — that they altered manufacturing dates on medical-grade face shields for delivery to the government. The witness was shown in a video aired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, and pointed to Mago as the one who gave instructions to tamper with the items.

However, when Mago pointed to Pharmally corporate secretary Mohit Darghani as the one who ordered her to instruct the warehouse staff, the latter denied this.

At this point, senators offered to give her protective custody, and Mago asked for time – at least until the end of Friday’s hearing – to decide whether to accept that offer.

Read full article on BusinessMirror

Leave a Reply