A watchdog group has asked the National Bureau of Investigation to reopen its probe into Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon over alleged irregularities linked to the country’s hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
“Now that the pandemic has ended… we urge the NBI to continue the investigation of the SEA Games issue,” the Citizens Crime Watch (CCW) said in a statement released through its chairman, lawyer Ferdinand Topacio.
The group said it had filed a complaint against Dizon before the Office of the Ombudsman shortly after the 2019 SEA Games, but the case was dismissed in 2021 because pandemic restrictions made it difficult to gather enough documentary evidence.
CCW stressed that the dismissal should not be treated as an exoneration and said investigators may now be able to uncover additional evidence with the pandemic already over.
The appeal came after NBI Director Melvin Matibag confirmed that the bureau is investigating alleged bidding and funding anomalies involving the New Clark City sports complex, including reports of around P10 billion in supposedly unliquidated government funds.IMT
