Former Bataan Gov. Leonardo Roman and three other former officials of the province have been indicted for graft in the Sandiganbayan for the allegedly anomalous construction of a P3.7-million mini theater in 2004.
The Office of the Ombudsman said the project was approved by Roman and his coaccused without a valid appropriation in violation of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Besides the former governor, also charged were his former executive assistant, Romeo Mendiola, ex-provincial treasurer Aurora Tiambeng and former provincial accountant Numeriano Medina.
They are also being held liable for “evident bad faith, manifest partiality and gross inexcusable negligence” in awarding the contract to a private firm, V.F. Construction.
The Ombudsman graft investigator, Quijano Laure, said the respondents used their positions to give “unwarranted benefit” to the private contractor by approving full payment for the project despite its failure to complete the construction of the mini theater.
Laure also cited the report of the Commission on Audit which said the project was not covered by the required budget resolution.
The COA said the “authorization, approval and certifications” of the accused for the payment of the project were “irregular, illegal and in violation of pertinent laws and of government auditing and accounting rules and regulations.”
The Ombudsman asked the antigraft court to order the respondents’ arrest and set P30,000 bail each for their provisional liberty.