Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 2) — National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) cybercrime chief Victor Lorenzo has been ordered relieved pending investigation into an allegedly anomalous operation in Manila, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra confirmed on Thursday.
Guevarra said he has approved NBI officer-in-charge Eric Distor’s recommendation for the relief of Lorenzo as head of the Cybercrime Investigation and Assessment Center.
He has also authorized the relief of other involved personnel of the bureau’s cybercrime division.
“This, I believe, is standard operating procedure whenever any NBI official or agent is under investigation by the internal affairs division in order to preserve the evidence and preclude any undue influence during the investigation,” Guevarra told reporters.
He said he would leave it to Distor to determine where Lorenzo would be assigned while the probe is ongoing.
Sought for comment, Lorenzo told CNN Philippines he understands that the decision is his superiors’ prerogative.
According to Guevarra, “some alleged irregularities were observed” in a May 31 operation conducted by the NBI cybercrime division.
He said it particularly involved the serving of a warrant to search, seize, and examine computer data in an establishment in Manila.
“No further details could be given at this time, as the matter is being investigated by the internal affairs division of the NBI,” Guevarra said. “We just want to make sure that similar operations in the future will be conducted in a most professional way.”
In a statement, the NBI said Distor has already ordered the review of existing operational guidelines and procedures “to scale down abuse of authority, [and] to leave no room for trust and integrity issues.”
