The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Saturday clarified that it has not received any affidavit from former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan 1st District Engineer Henry Alcantara retracting his earlier statements on the alleged flood control scandal.
DOJ Spokesperson Polo Martinez said no document has been submitted to formally deny Alcantara’s supposed admission of involvement in anomalous flood control projects, despite reports claiming otherwise.
“For the record, the DOJ has not received or reviewed any affidavit from Henry Alcantara retracting his previous statements,” Martinez said.
“There has been no official recantation by Alcantara whether written or verbal,” he added.
Alcantara earlier turned over ₱181 million to the DOJ after he was reportedly granted provisional coverage under the Witness Protection Program (WPP).
Martinez’s statement came in response to a media report alleging that Alcantara backtracked on his testimony before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, chaired by Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.
The report cited a counter-affidavit obtained by Bilyonaryo News Channel (BNC), in which Alcantara allegedly denied receiving kickbacks from the questioned projects.
The document was reportedly submitted as part of the DOJ’s ongoing preliminary investigation into criminal complaints against Alcantara and other members of the so-called “BGC Boys,” or Bulacan Group of Contractors.
In the counter-affidavit, Alcantara questioned the sufficiency of evidence against him.
“Without proof of personal benefit or voluntary consent to misappropriate public funds, malversation cannot lie,” he said.