Palace suspends deputy Ombudsman

FILE: Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. ( YANCY LIM/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)

Malacañang said that Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang has been charged and suspended for 90 days.

In a press briefing on Monday, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, Jr. said that the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) has formally charged Carandang with “grave misconduct” and “grave dishonesty” for disclosing alleged bank account transactions of the President and his family, without authorization.

These are in violation of Section 3e of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

“We have found probable cause to charge him and he’s now made to answer in 10 days,” Roque further said.

The Palace’s 90-days preventive suspension is “effectively immediately upon receipt of this letter,” Roque read in the said letter.

Because the Office of the Ombudsman is independent, Roque was asked if the Executive branch had jurisdiction over Carandang. He said that only the Ombudsman is impeachable and that the Deputy Ombudsmen are “subject to removal by the President.”

On September 27 last year, Carandang made the announcement that the Office of the Ombudsman started its probe on President Rodrigo Duterte and his family, after his staunch critic Senator Antonio Trillanes IV filed a complaint.

The Senator’s complaint, according to him, was based on records released by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

Carandang then claimed that the Office of the Ombudsman has the bank records of former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, Sebastian “Baste” Duterte,” and the President’s joint accounts with his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte – which according to him were all similar to the documents that Trillanes exposed.

However, AMLC denied releasing any information.

For the Presidential spokesperson, this was enough to negate the documents’ authentication, thus it should not have been exposed to the public.

As of writing, Carandang has yet to make a statement.