COA: Office of the Solicitor General has P28M yet to be claimed by its lawyers

MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) has P28.457 million in funds that have yet to be claimed by its lawyers.

According to Commission on Audit (COA), the money represented the honoraria for the legal services provided by the OSG lawyers. The amount accumulated in the last three years after bankers struggled with paperwork to determine which lawyers should get paid.

“The absence of supporting documents, which includes credit memoranda and notices of payment/remittances from various agency-clients of the OSG prevents the identification of corresponding officers and employees to whom the amount is payable,” the COA said.

“No actual claims have been filed by the lawyers/claimants for several years, the amount accumulated and remained undisposed,” state auditors added.

From the total amount, P5.51 million have been untouched since three years ago, while P5.79 million have been untouched for two years and counting.

In its recommendation, the COA said the OSG should revisit its procedures and arrangements with client agencies on notices of payments to avoid accumulation of more funds with no forwarding address.

State auditors also asked the OSG to write down the names of lawyers and how much they should be paid in future transactions. – Rappler.com