CA junks plea of official in Pharmally case

The Court of Appeals (CA) dismissed a petition for review filed by a former official of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) involved in the Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. scandal due to procedural issues.

The CA denied the petition filed by Christine Marie Suntay, former PS-DBM director, challenging the Ombudsman decision and order in 2023, which found her guilty of gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

According to the appellate court, Suntay erred when she impleaded the Ombudsman as the respondent in her petition because it merely acted as an adjudicator of the case filed against her.

READ: COA confirms DOH, PS-DBM ‘lapses’ in Pharmally deals

The court said Suntay should have impleaded the “real parties in interest,” former Sen. Richard Gordon and Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who filed the complaint against her and other officials before the Ombudsman. —JANE BAUTISTA