Aguirre on shredding documents at DOJ: I know nothing about it

FILE: Former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aquirre II (YANCY LIM/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)

Former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Monday, April 16, denied “downright malicious” reports that he ordered his staff to shred documents on his last day in office at the Department of Justice (DOJ).

“Foremost, I did not order any of my personnel to shred documents during my last day in the office at the DOJ. If any shredding was done, I know nothing about it,” Aguirre said in a statement.

The former Justice secretary noted that nothing is wrong with such activity because” shredding of documents is being regularly done in public and private offices.”

He added that the destruction of the papers could have been done to prepare the office for the incoming Justice Secretary.

“We can even surmise that it was done to get rid of unneeded or unwanted documents,” Aguirre further said.

While accusing Aguirre of scrapping voluminous documents, Justice Undersecretaries Reynante Orceo and Erickson Balmes assured that there was no shredding of such papers in their respective offices.

For his part, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said that he will look into the allegations lodged against Aguirre.

He stressed that he would conduct an “internal inquiry” and would even ask his predecessor about the reports.

Aguirre drew flak last month after the Justice Department put alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles under provisional coverage of its Witness Protection Program (WPP).

On April 5, President Rodrigo Duterte announced that Aguirre, who is also his fraternity brother at the San Beda Law School, was out of his Cabinet after the former submitted his resignation letter.

The former Justice Secretary previously said that he had no reason to leave his post as he did nothing wrong, but once he feels that the President distrusts him, he would do so.

Aguirre is the fourth official to leave Duterte’s Cabinet, following Information and Communications Technology Chief Rodolfo Salalima, National Irrigation Authority Chief Peter Laviña, and Vice President Leni Robredo who chaired the Housing and Urban Development Coordination Council.