Ex-Marantao mayor indicted for SALN misdeclaration

DAVAO CITY – The Office of the Ombudsman has indicted former Marantao, Lanao del Sur mayor Mohammadali Abboh Abinal for his failure to declare five firearms and a vehicle in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN) from 2007 to 2012.

The former local chief executive officer is facing six counts each of violation of Section 8 of the RA 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Article 183 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC).

In a resolution, the Ombudsman explained that the former mayor made a willful and deliberate assertion of a falsehood after he failed to fully declare all his assets and liabilities, including his wife’s and children’s in his SALNs.

The Ombudsman said that the claims of Abinal that his firearms were either confiscated or lost and that his truck was scrapped are “matters of defense involving factual issues, hence, should be fully explained and threshed out not in a preliminary investigation but during trial.”

The Article 183 of the RPC states that “perjury is committed by any person, who knowingly makes untruthful statements upon any material matter before a competent person authorized to administer an oath.”

Section 8 of RA 6713 said that all ‘public officials and employees have an obligation to accomplish and submit declarations under oath of, and the public has the right to know, their assets, liabilities, net worth and financial and business interests including those of their spouses and of unmarried children under 18 years of age living in their households.”