INQUIRER PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The Sandiganbayan has dismissed the graft complaints against former mayor Teddy Tumang of Mexico town, Pampanga, and a trader due to “inordinate delay” on the part of the Office of the Ombudsman.
In a resolution posted on the Sandiganbayan website, the First Division of the anti-graft court said the preliminary investigation took six years, four months, and 12 days from the time of the filing of the complaint on Dec. 13, 2017 to the filing of information with the court on April 25, 2024.
It noted that the Ombudsman spent one year, three months and 15 days to issue the resolution finding probable cause to indict Tumang and businessman William Colis.
According to Sandiganbayan, a total of four years, 11 months and 23 days had lapsed before the Ombudsman resolved the motions for reconsideration and proceeded to file the information.
The length of time “exceeded the allowable periods” provided in two rules, a part of the 12-page resolution penned by Associate Justice Bayani H. Jacinto and concurred by Efren N. de la Cruz and Juliet M. Manalo San Gaspar showed.
Promulgated on Monday (June 10), it was recently uploaded on the Sandiganbayan website.
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“In sum, the Court finds that there was inordinate delay in the preliminary investigation before the OMB and that the same was in violation of the accused’s right to the speedy disposition of their case. And, in view of this finding, there is no need for the Court to discuss the other issues raised on the motion to quash,” the division ruled.
It also granted the motion to quash information and/or dismiss the cases.
The Sandiganbayan decision ordered the release of the cash bonds they posted for their provisional liberty and lifted their hold departure order.
Tumang has appealed at the Court of Appeals the perpetual disqualification order placed on him by the Ombudsman. INQ