DOJ: Probe on extortion rap to continue despite NFA chief’s resignation

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Friday said the investigation on National Food Authority administrator Arthur Juan would continue despite his resignation amid accusations he tried extorting P15 million from a rice trader in Bulacan.

 

De Lima issued the statement following the leak of a supposed investigation report by the National Bureau of Investigatiom recommending graft charges against Juan and his assistant for the alleged extortion of rice trader Jojo Soliman.

 

"NBI's probe into the alleged extortion continues despite such resignation. NBI will still submit its final report with recommendation/s in due time," De Lima said.

 

"Remember that the act complained of or as alleged by Mr. Soliman, if verified to be true, constitutes a criminal offense. Hence, resignation of the alleged perpetrator would not serve to exculpate him from criminal liability," she added.

 

Francis Pangilinan, Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization, earlier in the day announced that Juan had tendered his irrevocable resignation, citing the NFA official's "failing health conditions" as reason.

 

"It is with regret and sadness that we received yesterday afternoon the irrevocable resignation of Mr. Art Juan as National Food Authority Administrator," Pangilinan said in a statement.

 

Pangilinan said he believed "Juan [was] innocent of the charges brought against him."

 

"This is a temporary setback in our reform efforts and it will not stop of from pursuing sweeping reforms in the NFA and the rice trade in the country," Pangilinan added.

 

A rice trader from Bulacan whose warehouse was raided in July has accused Juan of trying to extort P15 million from him. Trader Jojo Soliman said Juan offered to have his rice warehouse re-opened in exchange for money.

 

On Tuesday, De Lima ordered an investigation into the leakage of the supposed NBI probe report.

 

Soliman said he had evidence to prove Juan's extortion attempt. Apart from Juan, his assistant, lawyer Patricia Galang, is also being dragged into the extortion issue.

 

Both Juan and Galang denied the accusations, saying Soliman was just trying to get back at them for the July 5 raid that led to the filing of criminal charges against him on July 30.

 

Galang, for her part, said she had only been at her job for a week when the raid in Bulacan happened. —NB, GMA News