Lawyer Harry Roque RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
Ombudsman Special Prosecutor Wendell Barreras-Sulit on Thursday denied a congressman’s allegation that state prosecutors are being bribed to allow for the dismissal of corruption cases.
In a statement, Sulit challenged Kabayan Rep. Harry Roque to name those from the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) who he alleged received bribes.
Sulit slammed Roque for his “libelous” statement in an interview with DZMM alleging bribery attempts on state prosecutors.
“We at the OSP register our vehement objection to this unfounded and libelous statement as if he has personal knowledge of the ‘bribery,’ which Harry Roque claims is going on in the OSP,” Sulit said.
“We challenge him to come out with the names of the prosecutors who are tainted with this despicable reputation in order to clear those who have guarded their character with such high standard of morality and integrity worthy of emulation,” she added.
Sulit told Roque of the Ombudsman’s 70 percent conviction rate, and an “unfortunate” 30 percent dismissal rate.
“If we compare this conviction rating to the other Prosecution service of the government, perhaps Congressman Roque will give us a congratulatory greeting,” Sulit said.
Sulit said the prosecutors had no full control over the fate of the dismissed cases by the court.
“Sad to state however that we are not in full control of the outcome of the verdict. Even if our cases ended up in acquittal or dismissal, no one can, and should claim that we were ‘paid’ to drop our cases,” Sulit said.
In a DZMM interview, Roque alleged that state prosecutors are being paid to unduly delay its investigation of corruption cases or weaken its prosecution of charges.
The Sandiganbayan throws out cases over inordinate delay as respondents cry out violations of their right to a speedy trial.
“Dapat panagutin na itong Office of the Prosecutor ng Ombudsman dahil nga sunod-sunod na ang pagkatalo ng ating gobyerno… Tatapatin ko kayo, tingin ko, ang duda ko may lagayan diyan sa prosecution para walang ma-convict,” Roque told DZMM.
(The Office of the Prosecutor of the Ombudsman should be held responsible for the spate of dismissed cases…I’ll be frank to you, the way I see it, I suspect payoffs are taking place at the prosecution so that the accused will not be convicted.)
Among the cases dismissed by the Sandiganbayan due to inordinate delay include the graft charge of former senator Manuel Lapid over the purchase of allegedly overpriced foliar fertilizers when he was Pampanga governor; graft case of former Palawan Rep. now Games and Amusement Board Chairman Abraham Kahlil Mitra over the fertilizer fund scam; graft case of former Government Security Insurance System (GSIS) president Winston Garcia involving an allegedly anomalous eCard project with the Union Bank of the Philippines; Bohol Rep. Rene Relampagos and Bohol Governor Edgardo Chatto’s graft raps over the undervalued privatization of the provincial capitol’s water and electricity system; among others.
As to the dismissed cases, the most recent one was that of former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante and former Agriculture secretary Luis Ramon “Chito” Lorenzo, who were both cleared of plunder by the Sandiganbayan Special Second Division over the fertilizer fund scam.
READ: Sandigan clears 2 ex-agri execs of plunder in fertilizer fund scam
The plunder case of former president now Pampanga representative Gloria Arroyo over the alleged misuse of charity funds was also dismissed by the Supreme Court for lack of evidence.
The dismissal of the case freed Arroyo from over four years in hospital detention. Arroyo has since resumed her duties for her last term as congresswoman and is now Deputy Speaker.
FULL TEXT: Supreme Court decision on Arroyo plunder case
The other cases the Ombudsman lost before the Sandiganbayan are two graft cases of former Makati mayor Elenita Binay; the dismissal of the graft rap against Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito over the anomalous use of calamity fund; the malversation and graft cases against Senator Sherwin Gatchalian over the anomalous bank buy-out deal with the Local Water Utilities Administration, the graft charges over the allegedly overpriced National Broadband Network deal with ZTE firm against Arroyo, former poll chairman Benjamin Abalos and former socioeconomic planning secretary Romulo Neri, among others.
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