Ex-LP solon faces malversation, graft raps for paying private park worker salaries

A former congressman from the Liberal Party faces malversation and graft charges for allegedly using public money to pay the salaries of the employees of a city marine park that was built by a purported favored investor.

According to the complaint by the Ombudsman, former Misamis Occidental Rep. Loreto Leo Ocampos allegedly used P559,925 in government funds to pay the salaries of the Misamis Occidental Aquamarine Park staff when he was governor from 2004 to 2009.

The salaries should have been shouldered by the marine park using its operating expenses, the Ombudsman said.

Ocampos also faces graft for allegedly giving undue advantage to Iranian investor Foad Akhavan, with whom he entered into an investment contract that amounted to a build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme for the construction of the aquamarine park without complying with the BOT law.

Akhavan is also not qualified to conduct business in the country, the Ombudsman said. Akhavan is Ocampos’ co-accused in both charges.

Ocampos also did not require Akhavan to remit to the provincial government his 30 percent share from the net income of the marine park, violating the investment contract and causing undue injury to government.

Both respondents on Friday posted a P70,000 bail each for their provisional liberty. The cases were raffled off to the antigraft court Third Division.

Ocampos served as Misamis Occidental governor in 2004 before he became congressman from 2010 to 2013. AU