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[av_heading heading=’CA JUNKS OMBUDSMAN’S PLEA Bing’s case at Sandigan pending ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”][/av_heading]
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BACOLOD City – The Court of Appeals (CA) dismissed the motion for reconsideration (MR) that the Office of the Ombudsman filed in relation to CA’s decision absolving Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia and six others from their criminal and administrative charges.
The cases stemmed from a complaint over the procurement of furniture worth P50 million for the Bacolod City Government Center in 2008.
In a five-page decision order that Executive Justice Gabriel Ingles and associate justices Germano Francisco Legaspi and Marilyn Lagura-Yap signed on Nov. 28, 2017, the CA resolved that Leonardia, Goldwyn Nifras, Luzviminda Treyes, Nelson Sedillo Sr., Jaries Encabo, Belly Aguillon, and Aladino Agbones were not guilty of grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty.
The order affirmed the CA’s Sept. 6, 2017 decision finding that Melvin Recabar and Eduardo Ravena were guilty of simple misconduct.
Recabar and Ravena were penalized with a three-month suspension.
The CA denied the Ombudsman’s MR for “lack of merit.” It added that the “issues and the arguments” in the MR were a “mere rehash” of those that it already scrutinized.
The CA added that there was no “substantial and new matter” that would invalidate its Sept. 6, 2017 decision.
The Ombudsman also lodged a criminal case against Leonardia and the eight others before the Sandiganbayan in December last year.
The case is still pending for resolution.
Leonardia earlier welcomed the filing of the case, saying it will “once and for all clear our names.” /PN
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