The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday warned that forgers of bogus appointment papers of public officials bearing the president’s signature and presidential seal face jail term of up to 20 years.
At a Laging Handa public briefing, DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano said investigators would leave no stone unturned in going after persons spreading bogus appointment papers.
He issued the warning as the National Bureau of Investigation and the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group have been tasked to probe the incident.
“There is this document which says Rodolfo Espejo Jr. has been appointed. When checked, the original document does not exist in the PMS, the Office of the Executive Secretary and the Office of the President,” Clavano said.
Citing Article 161 of the Revised Penal Code, Clavano said counterfeiting the president’s seal is punishable with reclusion temporal or 12 to 20 years imprisonment.
“This is a serious offense because this document creates an atmosphere of confusion and discredits the reputation of the government),” Clavano said.
The NBI and the CIDG investigation will point to the source, the persons behind it and their intention, Clavano said.
He assured that media outlets that mistakenly reported the forged appointment as real will not be held liable.