SC’s Marquez sued anew over P8.9-M WB fund mess

Amid his bid to be a magistrate of the Supreme Court, a new criminal complaint was lodged against SC court administrator Midas Marquez in connection with his office’s alleged misuse of $199,900 or roughly around P8.6 million loaned from the World Bank (WB) in 2003 for a judicial reform project.

In a 15-page complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman yesterday, Rizza Joy Laurea, founder of the Group of Unified Youth for Social Change (GUYS), said Marquez must be held liable for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

The complainant said that of the $21.9-million loan extended by WB for its Judicial Reform Support Project, $199,900 or roughly around P8.6 million was used by Marquez in 2011 for 16 expenditures that were found by WB as “ineligible” or unauthorized under the terms of the JRSP.

The alleged unauthorized expenditures included payments for hotel accommodations (P104,327), travel expenses (P564,450), fees for seminar and conference resource persons (P227,906), airfare (P212,339), restaurant bills (P127,010), conference registrations (P63,857), sponsorship of goodwill games (9,080) payment for printing services (P965,620) and purchase of computer equipment (P6,327,914).

“Respondent Marquez used JRSP funds to his personal advantage by treating it as his personal funds,” she said.

Former Akbayan party-list congressman Walden Bello had filed a complaint against Marquez before the Ombudsman in 2012 in connection with the same alleged World Bank fund misuse but the complaint remains pending.

In a text message to reporters, Marquez – who was shortlisted by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) for the upcoming vacancy in the SC – dismissed the complaint as “an old recycled issue that does not even involve me.”

“In fact, the JBC has already disregarded this (issue),” Marquez added.