THE Immigration officials and employees implicated in the hugely-controversial “Pastillas Scheme” and whose six-month preventive suspension has already lapsed, may still be dismissed from service under the Civil Service Commission rules.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra revealed this on Wednesday shortly after he confirmed that the suspended Bureau of Immigration personnel are now back at work.

“Under existing CSC rules, dismissal from service may be imposed for dishonesty and other major administrative offenses. Both the OMB and the DOJ (Ombudsman and Department of Justice) may exercise that disciplinary power after giving the respondents their day in court,” Guevarra said.

The Immigration Bureau is an attached agency of the Department of Justice.

” It’s the DOJ who appoints immigration officers under the Commonwealth Act that established our immigration agency. We have disciplined so many immigration officers in the past for administrative offenses,” Guevarra continued.

The Pastillas Scheme hogged the headlines as it dragged names of ranking government officials. Under the “Pastillas” scheme, a Chinese visitor can seemlessly enter the country for paying bribes to Immigration officials and personnel

A Chinese citizen pays a P10,000 “service fee” – P2,000 of which will allegedly be shared among the BI’s Travel Control and Enforcement Unit (TCEU), duty Immigration supervisors, and terminal heads.

The remaining P8,000 will then be given to tour operators and syndicates who will transport the Chinese from the airport to Pogo facilities.

It was also earlier disclosed during past congressional hearings that blacklisted Chinese fugitives would pay as much as P200,000 to “freely” enter the country.

” Yes, the six-month preventive suspension of BI personnel allegedly involved in the so-called ‘Pastillas’ scheme has already lapsed. However, the preliminary investigation being conducted by the OMB is still going on. So is the administrative proceedings being conducted by the DOJ (Department of Justice) . These BI personnel have returned to the main office but most of them have not been given assignments while their cases remain pending,” Guevarra said in a message.

It was also earlier disclosed during past congressional hearings that blacklisted Chinese fugitives would pay as much as P200,000 to “freely” enter the country.

The National Bureau of Investigation has filed a complaint against BI personnel in connection with the “pastillas” scam before the Office of the Ombudsman.

They were charged with violations under Sections 3(a) and 3(j) of RA 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

President Rodrigo Duterte boasted in his last State of the Nation Address that he fired officials tagged in the Pastillas Scheme.

The NBI has secured a six-month preventive suspension of all BI personnel being investigated by the Office of the Ombudsman over the scheme.

Ombudsman Samuel Martires preventively suspended 83 Immigration personnel as they face investigation for graft for allegedly allowing the unchecked entry of Chinese into the country in exchange for bribes.

The Ombudsman order covered the suspension of 39 BI personnel while an earlier order suspended 44 others.

The Ombudsman said there is “strong evidence” of the guilt of BI personnel, who have been charged with grave misconduct, gross dishonesty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.