Raps poised vs state lawyer for alleged extortion of P2.5M
A SENIOR state prosecutor at the Department of Justice is facing criminal charges for allegedly extorting P2.5 million from members of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (Palea).
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has ordered the filing of criminal charges against Assistant State Prosecutor III Diosdado Solidum Jr. after he was caught receiving marked money from the airline workers in an entrapment operation on Aug. 8.
In an eight-page resolution, Morales said there was probable cause to indict Solidum for direct bribery (Article 210 of the Revised Penal Code) and for violation of Section 7(d) in relation to Section 11 of Republic Act No. 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees).
Solidum allegedly demanded P10,000 from each Palea member/respondent, or a total of P2.5 million, in exchange for the dismissal of charges filed against the airline employees. The amount was supposedly reduced to P1.2 million but payable in installments.
The Ombudsman resolution stated that “as Assistant State Prosecutor of the [DOJ], respondent [Solidum] is duty bound to decide or resolve all cases assigned to him based on merits.”
“All the elements of the offense charged are present” and “respondent … is a public officer discharging his official functions,” it added.
Airline workers earlier appealed a Pasay City prosecutor resolution finding probable cause to charge them for violation of the Civil Aviation Authority Act of 2008 arising from their work stoppage in September 2011. Solidum was assigned to review the petition.
Palea president Gerardo Rivera claimed that Solidum asked for a meeting in Quezon City last July 29 and suggested that reversing a prosecutor’s resolution would entail cost.
Solidum supposedly reminded Rivera that they have lost twice but assured him he can reverse the decision in exchange for money.
Rivera reported the incident to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima who then ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to act on the matter.
The NBI conducted an entrapment operation against Solidum last Aug. 8 at the Spring Deer Restaurant in Quezon City. Solidum was arrested after he was caught receiving the envelope containing the marked money.
Following Solidum’s arrest, Palea called on the DOJ to immediately suspend the prosecutor.
“The arrest of assistant state prosecutor Diosdado Solidum Jr. is but a small step in our quest for justice. We hope that it will pave the way for the dismissal of the harassment case against Palea,” the union said in a statement.
The charges stemmed from the strike at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 held by Palea in September 2011 against a controversial outsourcing scheme that led to the retrenchment of some 2,000 workers.
The PAL management sued 241 union members for disrupting airport services, which is penalized under the Republic Act No. 9497 or the Civil Aviation Authority Act of 2008.
Palea hailed De Lima for authorizing the entrapment operation.
“We need more De Limas and less Solidums in government if workers are to have a chance at attaining some measure of justice in this system. Truly the wheels of justice turn slow for workers but the arrest of Solidum should send a signal to all that the labor movement will fight to win,” Rivera said.
Rivera also expressed hope that the case against the union members, which Solidum had handled, would ultimately be dismissed by the DOJ.
“The protest Palea launched against outsourcing in our workplace was a constitutionally-guaranteed right to seek redress of grievances and does not fall under the provisions of the RA 9497 which concerns disruption and destruction of airport services and facilities,” he said.