Former National Police chief Alan Purisima has asked the Sandiganbayan’s permission to allow him to travel to the United States for 11 days to attend the annual meeting of a fraternal organization.
Based on Purisima‘s travel motion submitted to the anti-graft court’s Second Division Thursday, Purisima said he will travel to Biloxi, Mississippi, on April 23 to May 9 for the 2018 National Book of the Play and Annual Meeting of the Royal Order of Jesters.
Purisima, through his lawyers, said he will travel to the US on April 23 via San Francisco where he will also meet his family. He will fly back to Manila on May 9.
Purisima said his attendance to the event was significant as would be the first time that a Philippine representative was invited to the annual meeting since its Manila chapter was created last year, he said.
“Accused Alan was elected by the Manila Court No. 198, which was established in November 2017, as the country’s representative to the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Royal Order of Jesters. This is the first instance that a member of the Manila Court will attend an Annual Meeting,” his travel motion said.
The Ombudsman charged Purisima with eight counts of perjury, as defined and penalized under Article 183 of the Revised Penal Code, for not being truthful in his declarations of his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth for 2006 to 2009 and 2011 to 2014.
Prosecutors said Purisima failed to declare the property of his wife, Maria Ramona Lydia Purisima, covered by Certificate of Land Ownership CA-25916, in his SALNs for 2006 and 2007.
In 2008, the number of undeclared properties of Purisima’s wife increased to three: properties covered by CLOA VOS-28452 and a deed of donation dated May 12, 2008.
In his 2009 SALN, Purisima also did not declare another property covered by CLOA VOS-28012. Similarly, in 2011, Purisima was accused of not declaring two firearms in his SALN: a Bushamaster assault rifle and an STI .40-caliber pistol.
Prosecutors said a CZ 9MM SPO1 Shadow pistol and a UDMC .556 rifle were added to the list of assets concealed from the 2012 and 2013 SALNs, respectively.
In his 2014 SALN, Purisima and his wife also did not declare their four real estate properties.
Purisima is also being tried for two separate charges at the anti-graft court: One, for awarding Werfast Documentary Agency, Inc. a courier deal for the delivery of firearms permits, and two, separate charges for graft and usurpation of authority for his involvement in the January 2015 Mamasapano massacre which led to the death of 44 members of the PNP-Special Action Force.