Mayor charged with graft for delaying officials’ suspension

The mayor of Sipalay City, Negros Occidental was charged with graft for delaying the suspension of his local government officials without legal basis in 2008.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor formally filed before the Sandiganbayan one count for violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act against Oscar Montilla Jr.

Montilla won his mayoralty reelection bid in last year’s May elections.

In the charge sheet, prosecutors accused Montilla of acting with manifest partiality, evident bad faith and gross inexcusable negligence when he delayed the Ombudsman Visayas’ suspension for negligence against Evangeline Seneres, Eva Sabusap, Fernando Balhin, Noel Villanueva, and Renato Manilla.

Montilla was accused of criminally giving unwarranted benefit to the local officials when he delayed their suspension from office “for years without legal basis… despite repeated directives from the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas, to the detriment of public service.”

The prosecutors recommended a bail of P30,000. JE/rga