VP Duterte receives NBI invitation over Gracioso allegations

Vice President Sara Duterte has received an invitation from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to attend a conference concerning allegations made by dismissed former police officer Rodulfo M. Gracioso Jr., her lawyer said Saturday.

Atty. Paul Lawrence S. Lim, counsel for Duterte, said the Vice President received the NBI’s invitation but was not furnished a copy of Gracioso’s affidavit or its supporting documents.

“However, since no official copy of Mr. Gracioso’s affidavit was included with the invitation, we have requested the NBI for a faithful copy thereof and all its supporting documents, if any,” Lim said.

“Once received, the Vice President will take appropriate action thereon in due course,” he added.

Gracioso, a former police officer who served as a security aide to former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, has accused Duterte and other members of the Duterte family of receiving cash in a series of alleged deliveries.

He claimed in his sworn statement that he personally delivered cash to then-Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, former President Rodrigo Duterte and Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, allegedly on Velasco’s instructions.

Gracioso has alleged that some of the deliveries to Sara Duterte took place between 2018 and 2020 and involved amounts ranging from millions to tens of millions of pesos. The allegations have been denied by Duterte and Velasco’s camp.

The NBI has said it is still validating Gracioso’s allegations, including photographs and other evidence he submitted. NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the bureau would authenticate and verify the evidence and stressed that Gracioso could be held liable for perjury if his allegations were found to be untrue.

Matibag also clarified that a polygraph test previously administered to Gracioso, which reportedly yielded a 99% “truthfulness” rating, did not test the specific cash-delivery allegations in his affidavit. The examination covered his identity and relationships with people he named, according to the NBI.

Duterte earlier said she did not know Gracioso and had never received money from him. She also said her lawyers were awaiting an official copy of his affidavit from the NBI.

The NBI has invited other personalities named in Gracioso’s affidavit, including Paolo Duterte, Velasco and his wife, Rowena Velasco, to respond to the allegations.