President’s ouster row, ASA Phl gives side (8)

The following is the penultimate part of the series of replies of ASA Philippines, through counsel Cruz, Marcelo and Tenefrancia, to the articles printed from 5 to 11 November that were based on interviews of ASA Philippines former president and chief executive officer Kamrul Tarafder and documents he provided:

Kamrul: “On the day that Kamrul was removed, a copy of the board resolution was immediately circulated to ASA employees informing them, among other things, of Kamrul’s removal and that they were henceforth prohibited from communicating with him.

The Board Resolution also stated that Kamrul was barred from entering the ASA Philippines office and visiting any of its branches. Kamrul’s suspicions were triggered after a copy of the board resolution given to him and the one circulated to the employees showed substantial discrepancies. Eric Gotuaco would then be named interim foundation president.”

ASA Philippines: The assertion that the Board Resolution claims Mr. Kamrul was barred from entering the office or visiting any branches is clearly false. The Board Resolution dated 20 May 2024, specifies that he is to be granted “limited and restricted access to any and all branches, offices, and premises of the Foundation,” with the stipulation that his “access shall be strictly coordinated with the interim President of the Foundation” and is “strictly for official business purposes of the Foundation only.”

Subsequently, on 2 July 2024, Mr. Kamrul voluntarily resigned as a Trustee, and his resignation was duly accepted by Mr. Gotuaco, the Interim President, effective that same date.

Additionally, there is only one official version of the Board Resolution concerning Mr. Kamrul’s removal on record.

This resolution was properly approved by the Board of Trustees and distributed according to ASA’s internal protocols. The official copy provided to Mr. Kamrul is identical to the version filed in ASA’s records and is the only authorized version.

Any claims suggesting “substantial discrepancies” between different versions are unfounded and lack credible evidence.

Kamrul: “Kamrul, according to the report, was fired from ASA Philippines Foundation due to questionable deals, and the “intelligence community” of the Philippine is worried about ASA Philippines Foundation’s purchase of 100 Starlink kit which can be used for terrorist operations.

In a purported “financial investigation,” it was found that Kamrul and his family had purchased 100 Starlink kits using the ASA Philippines account and deployed them to unspecified locations across the country.

It was also alleged that both the Anti-Money Laundering Council and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency were remiss in their duties for failing to monitor and act on the purported Kamrul connections.

ASA Philippines Foundation, a nongovernmental organization, is also being allegedly used as a front for the illegal drug trade, and Kamrul, his wife, his son Simon, and his wife are all involved in the Mexican drug trade.

The radio commentary went on to state that the ASA Philippines Foundation hired a security consultancy firm at the request of the child of former ASA Chairperson Howard Dee to investigate the drug trade.

Finally, the report suggested that the Senate, the PDEA, and AMLAC investigate the matter.

On 7 June, Kamrul and Simon, with the assistance of their counsel, voluntarily presented themselves to PDEA before Assistant Secretary Renato Gumban, Deputy Director General for Operations, to refute the allegations related to drugs, terrorism, and money laundering. They also requested a thorough investigation into the accusations.

(To be continued)