Sandigan throws out case vs ex-NIA exec

Sandiganbayan’s Special Fifth Division stood pat on its ruling junking the perjury and breach of conduct complaint - tional Irrigation Administration (NIA) Region 10 Manager Julius Maquiling in connection with his 2009 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).

In October, the court dismissed the cases as it found that there was the Ombudsman’s resolution of the case.

“Upon weighing the parties’ contrasting arguments and after an in-depth scrutiny of the records, the Court discerns no compelling reason to depart from its Resolution dated October 5, 2017,” the court said in a four-page resolution promulgated on December 5, 2017.

“Measured against these legal - tion failed to justify the long delay in the resolution of the instant case. It bears stressing that in its Comment/ Opposition dated August 29, 2017, the prosecution merely averred of the Ombudsman is nationwide and that due to heavy case load, the latter could not be acted upon precipitately. There was no other plausible explanation advanced to justify the delay in the resolution of the case,” it added.

The court said it “sees no other Ombudsman six (6) years, seven (7) months and eight (8) days to resolve the instant case.”

“Finally, the other arguments raised need not be passed upon as the Court already discussed the same in the assailed resolution. Since no new substantial matters have been asserted, the instant motion must be denied outright,” it said.

The court thus denied “for utter lack of merit” the prosecution’s motion for reconsideration.

Associate Justice Maria Theresa Mendoza-Arcega penned the ruling which was concurred in by Associate Justice Rafael Lagos, who leads the court’s Fifth Division, and Associate Justice Reynaldo Cruz.

Based on a statement issued by the Ombudsman in August 2016, Maquiling declared in his 2009 SALN that he had no existing business interests and financial undertakings.

- budsman, a lifestyle check investigation revealed that Maquiling supposedly owned JS Maquiling Marketing.