The Department of Justice has dismissed a complaint for large scale smuggling filed by the Bureau of Customs against former Rep. John Orola and two of his siblings for lack of evidence.
Orola is chairman of the board of Orophil Shipping International Co Inc., a manning and crewing company based in Bacolod City.
Also cleared of complaint for violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act were Tomas Orola, Elizabeth Orola Salabas and Gilray Romeo Torres, Orophil president, vice president and operations manager, respectively, Myra Doce, John Derrick Mendoza, John Adam Darain, Cyril Go, Eliseo Montances and Lorenz Mangaliman.
The Bureau of Customs maliciously implicated Orophil to large scale smuggling of 641 containers containing spare parts that were illegally released from the Port of Manila from April to August 2018, John Orola said.
DOJ Assistant State Prosecutor Jayvee Laurence Bandong, in his resolution dismissing the complaint, said a committee was created to conduct an investigation on the unlawful release of 641 containers deceptively declared as “ship spares in transit”.
The “ships spares in transit” are not intended for consumption or use in the Philippines thus they are exempted from payment of customs duties and taxes, he said, adding that there was lack of evidence to link the Orolas to their illegal release from the Port of Manila.
The timely intervention of President Rodrigo Duterte, who ordered an immediate investigation of the case, ensured the speedy resolution of the case, John Orola said.
The Bureau of Customs alleged that there were some BOC employees who connived with employees of Orophil for the release of the containers, he said.
“We investigated this and not a single name they mentioned was known to us, nor are they employees of our company. It was all fabrications,” he said.
Orola said he was informed that other shipping companies had been victims of this kind of modus operandi in the Bureau of Customs that is why they brought the matter to the attention of the president.*