Ombudsman Morales says dismissal of disbarment case ‘expected’

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales. TARRA QUISMUNDO/PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales on Saturday said that the dismissal of the disbarment complaint against her “was expected” and that she “appreciates the Supreme Court’s (SC) immediate and decisive action on the petition.”

The SC last Tuesday junked the disbarment case filed by President Rodrigo Duterte’s ardent supporter Greco Belgica against Morales.

READ: SC throws out case to disbar Morales

Belgica, who ran and lost in the 2016 senatorial elections, cited the Ombudsman’s dismissal of the graft and technical malversation cases against former President Benigno Aquino III in the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) complaint.

He also vowed to file an impeachment complaint against Morales when Congress resumes after its break in May.

Morales was accused of violating the Lawyer’s Oath and the Canon of Professional Responsibility for acquitting Aquino in the DAP case.

READ: Losing senatorial bet files disbarment case vs Ombudsman

The SC magistrates unanimously rejected Belgica’s petition, pointing out that his logic was “faulty. The SC also stood by its previous decision on similar petitions that lawyers occupying public posts who may only be removed from office through impeachment cannot be disbarred during their incumbency.

Morales said in a statement that with the dismissal of the petition, the Office of the Ombudsman can now dedicate all its time and energy to “cleaning up its dockets further of inherited cases and immediately investigating and resolving new complaints.”

She issued the statement in Washington, D.C., where she is attending a panel discussion on Leveraging Trade Agreements and International Institutions: Promoting the Rule of Law in the Asia-Pacific. IDL