Pnoy’s Friend, 11 other Police Officers Charged for Selling AK47’s to NPA

Once considered as the country’s top police officer, indicted Chief Supt. Raul Petrasanta, a lose friend of President Aquino, may just end up living in jail.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales on Wednesday approved the indictment of Petrasanta, six former police officials, five active police officials and three others in the Sandiganbayan for multiple counts of graft in connection with the missing AK-47 assault rifles, which allegedly ended up in the hands of communist rebels in Mindanao.

A total of P52 million worth of 1,004 Russian-made AK-47 high-powered assault rifles were reportedly sold to New People’s Army (NPA) rebels from 2011 to 2013, with the assistance of several senior police officials according to the ombudsman.

Aside from Petrasanta, also charged were retired PNP Directors Gil Meneses and Napoleon Estilles, former Chief Superintendents Tomas Rentoy III and Regino Catiis, and former Senior Superintendents Eduardo Acierto and Allan Parreño.

Likewise indicted were Supt. Nelson Bautista, Chief Inspectors Ricardo Zapata Jr. and Ricky Sumalde, Senior Police Officers 1 Eric Tan and Randy de Sesto, and civilian employees Nora Pirote and Sol Bargan.

The Ombudsman also included as private respondent in the case, Isidro Lozada, the registered owner of Caraga Security Agency.

Petrasanta, a former official of the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO), and Central Luzon police director, was once touted to be the next PNP chief and was even endorsed to the President by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.

In June, the antigraft body ordered the dismissal from the government service of Petrasanta, then PNP Director General Alan Purisima and several other police officers for awarding a P100-million service contract to a startup courier company for the delivery of gun licenses.

A member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1984, Petrasanta was widely expedted to be the President’s choice to succeed Purisima, also a close associate of Mr. Aquino, until both of officers were axed from the PNP by the Ombudsman.

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