SANDIGAN CLEARS PAROJINOGS IN GRAFT CASE

The Sandiganbayan has upheld its dismissal of the graft case filed against Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and his daughter, Vice Mayor Nova Princess Parojinog, on the grounds of inordinate delay in the Ombudsman’s investigation.

In a resolution dated June 14, the court’s Fifth Division denied the prosecution’s appeal on its April 7 ruling that granted the Parojinogs’ motion to quash their graft case.

The case arose from the mayor’s award of a gym renovation project to his daughter’s firm, Parojinog & Sons Construction Co., in 2008.

The court said the prosecution appeal “failed to address” its finding that the four-year fact-finding investigation stage from December 2010 to December 2014 must be computed in determining inordinate delay.

The resolution stated that when the Ombudsman referred the case to the Commission on Audit in December 2010, it effectively took cognizance of the case already. Thus, it considered the case to have taken five years and 11 months before it was finally filed in the Sandiganbayan on Nov. 23, 2016.

It was not moved by the prosecution’s argument that only the preliminary investigation stage should have been considered, beginning from the Field Investigation Office’s filing of a formal complaint on Dec. 8, 2014.

On a more technical ground, the court said the prosecution failed to abide by the rules providing for the motion to be heard not more than 10 days after it was filed. The appeal was filed on April 27, but it was set for hearing on May 12.

State prosecutors also failed to furnish the Parojinog camp a copy of the motion three days before the hearing.