MANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) has nullified the Duterte administration’s dismissal of former Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang, declaring that the Office of the President had no legal authority to remove him from his post.
In a 28-page decision released Saturday, the SC Third Division upheld an earlier ruling by the Court of Appeals that voided the administrative case against Carandang “for lack of jurisdiction.”
The High Court also invalidated the July 30, 2018 decision of the Office of the President, issued during the Duterte administration, which found Carandang guilty of graft, corruption, and betrayal of public trust and ordered his removal from service.
Additionally, the SC set aside a June 14, 2019 directive by then-Ombudsman Samuel Martires that barred Carandang from performing his duties and declared his post vacant, noting that it was based on the voided presidential order.
With the ruling, the Court said Carandang is entitled to receive his retirement benefits upon the completion of his term, as well as salaries corresponding to the period of his preventive suspension and dismissal, up to the end of his tenure.
The decision was written by Associate Justice Maria Filomena Singh, with several members of the division concurring.
Carandang had figured in controversy during his tenure after conducting an inquiry into the wealth of former President Rodrigo Duterte./PN
