Detained BARMM police director deny estafa charges

COTABATO CITY - The detained former chief of the Bangsamoro regional police has denied the separate syndicated estafa charges filed against him in two different Quezon City courts.

Brig. Gen. John Guyguyon immediately got relieved as director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region after agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group served him two warrants of arrest Wednesday night at his office in Camp SK Pendatun in Parang, Maguindanao del Norte.

The warrants were issued by the Regional Trial Courts Branch 104 and Branch 91, both in Quezon City, signed by Judges Catherine Manodon and Kathleen Rosario Dela Cruz Espinosa, respectively, without bail recommended.

“My name was just dragged into that issue. I unduly tangled with it as an `incorporator’ and had no hand in any monetary collection whatsoever,” Guyguyon told reporters here late Wednesday.

Col. Jean Fajardo, spokesperson of the Philippine National Police, said Thursday the complaints against Guyguyon stemmed from those filed against a financing company of which he was among the incorporators.

“Meron lupa na dapat bibilhin itong mga complainants na ito at through this company kung saan isa po sa incorporators si General Guyguyon ay supposedly mag-po-provide ng loan sa kanila,” Fajardo pointed out in a news briefing in the Camp Crame in Quezon City.

She said Guyguyon was not informed about the preliminary investigation on the complaint so the police general was not able to present his side. 

“He did not receive any summons so that he could answer the allegations, which prompted the prosecutor to file this case and the court to issue a warrant of arrest,” Fajardo said.