Deputy Ombudsman fired
Published Aug 1, 2018 10:55 am
By Argyll Cyrus Geducos
Malacañang has dismissed Overall Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang from service months after the Palace suspended him due to his disclosure of President Duterte's bank transactions reaching P1 billion without the authority of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) last year.
Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang
(Australian Alumni of the Philippines via YouTube / MANILA BULLETIN) Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea confirmed Wednesday morning that Malacañang issued the dismissal order on July 30. The decision also slapped Carandang with accessory penalties of cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, bars him from taking civil service examinations, and perpetual disqualification from holding public office. The decision stemmed from the administrative complaints separately filed in October by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) and Labor Undersecretary Jacinto Paras, and former Biliran Representative Glenn Chong. The decision stated that Carandang was only interested in broadcasting information adverse to the President. “His keeping mum about information that was favorable to the President clearly amounted to manifest partiality,” the decision read. Medialdea’s order also found Carandang liable for giving any party any unwarranted benefits, advantage, or preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith, or gross inexcusable negligence. Carandang was also found to have violated the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees on disclosure and/or misuse of confidential information “to give undue advantage to Senator Trillanes.” “The transgressions of respondent Carandang constitute Graft and Corruption, as well as Betrayal of Public Trust, which gravely affect his fitness to remain in public office,” the decision read. In January this year, the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) formally charged Carandang with grave misconduct and grave dishonesty, misuse of confidential information, and disclosing false information. The OES also charged Carandang for causing undue injury to any party, including the government or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage of preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial function through manifest partiality, and evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence. According to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, the OES also placed Carandang under preventive suspension for a period of 90 days. The formal charge of the OES cited Carandang’s earlier statement which said that his office has “received bank transactions coming from AMLC, bank transactions generated by AMLC.” However, the AMLC, only days later, denied that it provided Carandang with the bank documents, nor Senator Antonio Trillanes IV who claimed to have the same documents. “Ang sabi po ng AMLC, hindi nanggaling sa kanila ang mga dokumento ni Trillanes, hindi po nila in-authorize ang mga kahit anong inquiry at iyong mga attachment ni Antonio Trillanes, mali at misleading (The AMLC said that they were not the source of the documents and they did not authorize any inquiry and that the attachment was wrong and misleading),” Roque said. Roque also had earlier said that the decision to suspend Carandang was not unconstitutional since Deputy Ombudsmen are not impeachable. Carandang earned Duterte's ire when he disclosed to the media in September of 2017 that the Office of the Ombudsman had received documents from the AMLC similar to those held by Trillanes. The AMLC later on denied giving records to the Ombudsman and that its request was then still being evaluated despite Carandang's claims that the First Family's bank records were provided by the AMLC. In October, 2017, Duterte hit Carandang for coming out with “fabricated” evidence just to turn the public against him. Duterte confidently said that he would allow the Ombudsman to go straight to the Central Bank of the Philippines and check his bank records themselves.
Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang(Australian Alumni of the Philippines via YouTube / MANILA BULLETIN) Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea confirmed Wednesday morning that Malacañang issued the dismissal order on July 30. The decision also slapped Carandang with accessory penalties of cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, bars him from taking civil service examinations, and perpetual disqualification from holding public office. The decision stemmed from the administrative complaints separately filed in October by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) and Labor Undersecretary Jacinto Paras, and former Biliran Representative Glenn Chong. The decision stated that Carandang was only interested in broadcasting information adverse to the President. “His keeping mum about information that was favorable to the President clearly amounted to manifest partiality,” the decision read. Medialdea’s order also found Carandang liable for giving any party any unwarranted benefits, advantage, or preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith, or gross inexcusable negligence. Carandang was also found to have violated the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees on disclosure and/or misuse of confidential information “to give undue advantage to Senator Trillanes.” “The transgressions of respondent Carandang constitute Graft and Corruption, as well as Betrayal of Public Trust, which gravely affect his fitness to remain in public office,” the decision read. In January this year, the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) formally charged Carandang with grave misconduct and grave dishonesty, misuse of confidential information, and disclosing false information. The OES also charged Carandang for causing undue injury to any party, including the government or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage of preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial function through manifest partiality, and evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence. According to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, the OES also placed Carandang under preventive suspension for a period of 90 days. The formal charge of the OES cited Carandang’s earlier statement which said that his office has “received bank transactions coming from AMLC, bank transactions generated by AMLC.” However, the AMLC, only days later, denied that it provided Carandang with the bank documents, nor Senator Antonio Trillanes IV who claimed to have the same documents. “Ang sabi po ng AMLC, hindi nanggaling sa kanila ang mga dokumento ni Trillanes, hindi po nila in-authorize ang mga kahit anong inquiry at iyong mga attachment ni Antonio Trillanes, mali at misleading (The AMLC said that they were not the source of the documents and they did not authorize any inquiry and that the attachment was wrong and misleading),” Roque said. Roque also had earlier said that the decision to suspend Carandang was not unconstitutional since Deputy Ombudsmen are not impeachable. Carandang earned Duterte's ire when he disclosed to the media in September of 2017 that the Office of the Ombudsman had received documents from the AMLC similar to those held by Trillanes. The AMLC later on denied giving records to the Ombudsman and that its request was then still being evaluated despite Carandang's claims that the First Family's bank records were provided by the AMLC. In October, 2017, Duterte hit Carandang for coming out with “fabricated” evidence just to turn the public against him. Duterte confidently said that he would allow the Ombudsman to go straight to the Central Bank of the Philippines and check his bank records themselves.